Taiwan 7.4 earthquake: CCTV footage shows last moments before Aussies went missing in Taiwan

New footage has emerged showing the two missing Australians in the hours before the deadly 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit Hualien City in Taiwan’s east.

CCTV footage has emerged showing two Australian-Singaporeans alive hours before they went missing following a deadly 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck Taiwan.

Neo Siew Choo and Sim Hwee Kok were caught on camera walking on a crosswalk in Hualien City before lining up to board a bus about 6am on April 3. They were dressed in shorts and t-shirts, with Mr Kok carrying a black bag.

It comes after reports on Monday that the couple were spotted on CCTV footage exiting a bus near a nature trail about 40 minutes before the quake wreaked havoc.

About 6am on April 3, Sim Hwee Kok and Neo Siew Choo, were spotted on CCTV footage queuing up at Hualien Transfer Station to wait for a bus ride. It was reported that they were going to Taroko National Park. Picture: Supplied

The pair were on their way to the Shakadang Trail in the Taroko National Park when they were last seen getting off a bus about 7.20am on April 3, according to The Australian.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to the Aussies’ families of two Australians.

“The Australian Office in Taipei is working closely with local authorities, whose search for the missing Australians is ongoing,” a DFAT spokesperson said.

Australian-Singaporeans have been missing in Taiwan since the 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit last week.

The deadly earthquake, that triggered landslides, buildings to collapse and a tsunami warning, struck about an hour after they got off the bus.

The search and rescue team were focusing on the Shakadang trail, part of which collapsed in the 7.4-magnitude quake, team leader Chen Yifeng told local Taiwanese media.

A foreign drone team were also surveying the area.

At least 13 people were killed and more than 1140 injured by the tremor that struck the island on Wednesday, with strict building codes and widespread disaster readiness credited with averting an even bigger catastrophe.

But landslides around epicentre Hualien still blocked tunnels and roads, making the mountainous terrain around the county difficult for rescuers to access survivors and victims.

At least six people remain unaccounted for, while the number of people who can’t be accessed has steadily shrunk as authorities managed to fix roads and clear tunnels over the weekend.

DOGS USED IN SEARCH FOR MISSING

A former drug-sniffing dog who lost his job for being too friendly has emerged as the unlikely MVP of the Taiwan rescue teams searching for survivors of the island’s strongest earthquake in 25 years.

Footage released by the Hualien county fire department showed Roger, an eight-year-old labrador, mounting a boulder that had fallen across a hiking trail near Hualien’s Taroko National Park.

“Have you found something? Let’s go over there,” said a rescuer to Roger, who did not budge.

Search dog Roger is helping rescue teams find bodies of people missing or trapped in Taiwan following the deadly earthquake that hit last week. Picture: Laurent Fievet/Hualien County Fire Department/AFP

The mayor of southern Kaohsiung — which sent a rescue team and dogs including Roger — said the labrador specialises in “rubble pile search and rescue” and that he is trained to search for survivors “Roger must have found some clues, and his confused look made the handler feel something was up, and then they found the victim,” said Mayor Chen Chi-mai in a Facebook post titled “The Paw Paw Team’s feat”.

Handler Lee Hsin-hung said Roger located a victim “just five minutes after setting off”, and praised the dog’s confidence in an unfamiliar terrain.

Originally trained as a drug-sniffing dog as a pup, Roger was given his walking papers from that role because he was too friendly, which led to his switch to search-and-rescue missions.

Another search dog, three-year-old Wilson, a Jack Russell terrier, is getting accolades as well after footage emerged in Taiwanese media of his persistent scramble through immovable boulders.

Jack Russell terrier, Wilson, is helping rescuers locate victims of the Taiwan earthquake. Picture AFP

RESCUERS FREE NINE FROM CAVE AFTER TAIWAN QUAKE

Rescuers freed nine people trapped in a winding cave in Taiwan’s mountainous east on Friday local time, while locating two others who were feared dead, as they searched for those still missing after the island’s biggest earthquake in 25 years.

The official death toll from Wednesday’s magnitude-7.4 quake still stood at 10, but the government in the hardest-hit area of Hualien county said two more people on a hiking trail were found with “no signs of life”.

Crushed by a landslide, the two were buried deep beneath massive boulders, making it difficult for workers to get to them.

A man carrying a child receives medical attention at a temporary rescue command post after being rescued from the Taroko National Park in Hualien. Picture: AFP

“Their bodies have been found, but they have not been excavated yet. We will add them to the death toll after they are excavated and identified,” said Interior Minister Lin Yu-chang.

Hundreds more were still stranded around the mountains that flank the county on Friday, with roads blocked off by landslides and rockfalls. However, most were known to be safe as rescuers deployed helicopters, drones and smaller teams with dogs to reach them.

The number of missing people stands at 13, including two Australians and one Canadian.

Rescuers had found nine people alive in a cave popular with tourists called the Tunnel of Nine Turns on Friday.

Heavy equipment are being used to demolish the Uranus building, which was damaged in the April 3 earthquake. Picture: AFP

“I kept praying and praying,” a woman evacuated from the cave told reporters, adding that the earthquake had sounded like “a bomb”.

In the main city of Hualien, authorities allowed residents to enter a building with a crumbling facade in 15-minute intervals so that they could retrieve their belongings.

Some opted to throw mattresses and bags of clothing out the window, while a young mother slowly carried a cot out for her 10-month-old baby.

“We are told the building has become dangerous and there probably won’t be another chance to move our things afterwards,” said the 24-year-old woman surnamed Chen.

“During the big quake … I was only thinking about protecting my baby at the time,” she said. “I didn’t expect it to be so serious”.

Debris is seen scattered around the lobby of an apartment building, damaged in the earthquake. Picture: AFP

Ten minutes away, workers started demolishing a building named Uranus, which was tilting at a 45-degree angle after half its first floor pancaked.

As night fell, workers used a crane to twist the roof off the concrete structure.

Next to the Uranus, a digital sign on another building blared, “Don’t give up! Hualien add oil!” — using a Chinese expression of support.

The national disaster agency said more than 1,100 people had been injured — though it did not specify how severely.

More than 600 were stranded but accounted for, while authorities had lost contact with 11.

A building severely damaged by an earthquake in Japan is demolished. Picture: AFP

TWO AUSTRALIANS REPORTED MISSING

Two Australians have been reported missing and at least 10 people have now been confirmed dead after a 7.4-magnitude powerful earthquake struck Taiwan.

A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesman said it was “aware of two Australians reported missing following the earthquake in Taiwan”.

“The Australian Office in Taipei is making urgent inquiries with local authorities to confirm their welfare,” a DFAT spokesman said.

“Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment.”

It comes after Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry reported two Australians and two other foreigners remain unaccounted for.

Dozens of foreign nationals have reportedly been rescued, but there are conflicting reports about how many people are still missing.

A desperate search is underway for people missing following Taiwan’s 7.4-magnitude earthquake, including two Australians. Picture: AFP

The latest casualty, a 65-year-old man, was found on a hiking trail in Hualien county on Thursday afternoon local time.

Rescue workers deployed ropes to move the body on the uneven terrain filled with jagged rocks, according to footage released by officials.

More than 1100 people were injured in the biggest earthquake recorded on the island in 25 years, and dozens remained trapped.

Search and rescue personnel working on a mountainside during the search for the body of a hiker in Hualien, which was later recovered. Picture: AFP

Tremors set off at least nine landslides and hillsides collapsed onto Suhua Highway in Hualien, which runs down the east coast.

More than 300 aftershocks have forced people to sleep in tents outside their houses or in emergency shelters.

More than 600 people were either still trapped or out of contact on Thursday, Taiwan’s fire agency said. Those trapped, mostly hotel employees earlier reported to be in the national park, were still out of contact with authorities.

The earthquake set off tsunami warnings on the island and across neighbouring countries.

Meanwhile, a 6-magnitude earthquake struck off the east coast of Honshu, Japan on Thursday, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre said.

A man guards a checkpoint along a road near a landside following a 7.5 magnitude earthquake, which hit eastern Taiwan. Picture: Getty Images

Rescuers worked to reach scores of people trapped in highway tunnels as engineers began a massive clear-up operation after the island’s biggest earthquake in a quarter of a century.

Dramatic video released Thursday by the island’s Central Emergency Operation Centre showed a helicopter flying two sorties to save six miners trapped in a gypsum quarry in Hualien county, near the epicentre of the quake.

Rescuers knew the whereabouts of dozens more people trapped in a network of strongly built tunnels in the county, a feature of the roads that cut through the scenic mountains and cliffs leading to Hualien City from the north and west.

The aftermath of an earthquake in Hualien. At least 10 people were killed and more than 1,000 injured. Picture: AFP

Hundreds of others were holding out at a luxury hotel and youth activity centre near the Taroko National Park, with roads leading to both blocked by landslides.

“I also hope that we can use today’s time to find all people who are stranded and unaccounted for and help them settle down,” Premier Chen Chien-jen said after a briefing at an emergency operation centre in Hualien.

The island has been shaken by hundreds of strong aftershocks since the first quake, and the government warned people to be wary of landslides or rockfalls if they ventured to the countryside for Qingming, a two-day public holiday that began Thursday.

Families traditionally visit the tombs of their ancestors on the holiday to clean the gravesites and burn offerings.

“Do not go to the mountains unless necessary,” warned President Tsai Ing-wen. The national disaster agency said 10 people had been killed and 1,100 injured in the quake.

AUSSIES INJURED

A number of Australians were injured in the earthquake that knocked buildings off their foundations and triggered landslides trapping people in tunnel highways.

Desperate efforts are underway to determine how many Australians were impacted by the tremor.

“The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is assisting a small number of Australians, some of whom have sustained minor injuries,” a spokesman said.
“Department officials in Taipei continue to work with local authorities to determine whether any other Australians have been affected by the earthquake.”

The department advises Australians in the region to follow the directions of local authorities.

Australians in need of emergency consular assistance should contact the Australian Government’s 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre 1300 555 135 (within Australia) and [phone] (from overseas).

Shocking moment!
The #earthquake in #Taiwan triggered a #landslide. This is Chongde Village, Xiulin Township, Hualien City.
A car in the distance was lucky enough to rush out at the last minute!#PrayForTaiwan#PrayersForTaiwanpic.twitter.com/PIvCLaCr1n

— Inconvenient Truths by Jennifer Zeng 曾錚真言 (@jenniferzeng97) April 3, 2024

It comes as incredible footage shows the enormous damage in the aftermath of the jolt.

Giant boulders are seen falling on to the road and taking out cars in Hualien County on the east cost of Taiwan, near the epicentre.

Dramatic dashcam footage also captured the moment a landslide came down a mountain.

The powerful earthquake damaged dozens of buildings and prompted tsunami warnings that extended to Japan and the Philippines before being lifted.

Firefighters spray the water on a collapsed building following an earthquake in Hualien, Taiwan. Picture: Getty Images

Earthquake affected people stand outside tent a at a temporary reception centre at a local school in Hualien. Picture: AFP

The moment a landslide crashes down a mountain and onto a highway, triggered by a massive earthquake in Taiwan. Picture: Supplied

The massive earthquake in Taiwan measured 7.4. Picture: Supplied

Nine people were confirmed dead, more than 100 were missing and 1000 injured. Picture: Supplied

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), there have been 29 aftershocks greater than a magnitude of 4.0 near the epicentre of the earthquake in east Taiwan so far and officials warned of more tremors in the days ahead.

The Biden administration is monitoring the earthquake in Taiwan overnight and is prepared to offer assistance, a National Security Council spokesman said on Wednesday local time.

“We are monitoring reports of the earthquake impacting Taiwan and continue to monitor its potential impact on Japan. The United States stands ready to provide any necessary assistance. All those affected are in our prayers,” a statement from National Security Council spokesman Adrienne Watson said.

Strict building regulations and widespread public disaster awareness appear to have staved off a major catastrophe for the earthquake-prone island, which lies near the junction of two tectonic plates.

The deadly earthquake, which hit shortly before 9am local time (11am AEDT) on Wednesday, rocked the entire island, knocking buildings off their foundations and prompted tsunami warnings for the self-ruled island, as well as parts of Japan and the Philippines.

Taiwan’s Central Emergency Command Center (CEOC) said at least 26 buildings had collapsed, with reports of people trapped inside several.

It said the collapsed buildings include 15 in Hualien County – the epicentre of the quake.

A building in Hualien County has been significantly damaged by the earthquake. Picture: AFP

At least nine people were killed and more than 1,000 injured by a powerful earthquake in Taiwan that damaged dozens of buildings. Picture: AFP

Rescue teams demolish a collapsed building following the earthquake in Taiwan. Picture: Getty Images

‘LIKE A FREIGHT TRAIN’

Australians caught up in the disaster said it felt like a freight train was about to hit, with panic and confusion visible on the streets.

“The whole house was just violently shaking, and you’re powerless,” Australian in Taiwan Jack Brooker said in an interview aired on 7 News.

“There’s nowhere you can go, nothing’s safe.”

Joey Tong from Sydney said “it was terrifying”.

“I was trying to find some place to hide, you know, maybe under the table or something.

“You just have to do what it takes to stay alive.”

Three people among a group of seven on an early-morning hike through the hills that surround the city were crushed to death by boulders loosened by the earthquake, officials said.

Separately, a truck driver died when his vehicle was hit by a landslide as it approached a tunnel in the area.

This screengrab taken from video footage shows rockfall from a mountain near Kanan bridge in Hualien county after a major earthquake hit Taiwan's east. Picture: AFP

A shop employee clears broken bottles on the floor of a supermarket in Yilan, after a major earthquake hit Taiwan's east. Picture: CNA / AFP

FOREIGNERS TRAPPED

At least four foreign nationals have been trapped in Taiwan, reports CNN.

Two Canadians are trapped with about a dozen others in Taroko Gorge, a popular tourist destination in Hualien County.

It’s understood they are waiting to be rescued from Shakadang Trail, which is near the entrance of the gorge.

Meanwhile, two Germans are stuck in a tunnel on the Suhua Highway. The highway, on the eastern coast, was closed after being severely damaged in the earthquake.

Building damaged in the Xindian district of New Taipei City Picture: AFP

Earlier on Wednesday, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said “the tsunami threat has now largely passed”, but that people near coastal areas should stay alert.

An emergency message sent out by authorities shortly after said “the tsunami triggered by the earthquake has gradually reached the coast of Taiwan”.

“People in coastal areas are reminded to be vigilant and take strict precautions and pay attention to the dangers caused by sudden surges in waves.”

The Japan Meteorological Agency also lifted it’s “tsunami advisory” for islands of Okinawa, after it was earlier downgraded from a “tsunami warning”.
The JMA had previously warned of an estimated maximum tsunami height of three metres.
A 30cm tsunami reached Yonaguni Island at 9.18am (0018 GMT), the JMA said.

FLIGHTS RESUME

Flights to Japan’s Naha Airport on Okinawa island have resumed after earlier being diverted, the airport’s spokesman told CNN.
Hideaki Tsurudo earlier said all airport staff and personnel were evacuated to the third floor in anticipation of the tsunami’s impact, adding that no waves had reached the airport in the time frame of the warning.

#Taiwan#earthquake rooftop pool.
(Nice setup!) pic.twitter.com/SKdhbDBvri

— T (@Krommsan) April 3, 2024

The initial earthquake was felt across Taiwan, with AFP reporters from the southern Pingtung county to the north in Taipei reporting strong shaking sensations.

The aftershocks – which included a 6.5-magnitude earthquake near Hualien according to Taipei’s weather agency – were also felt in Taipei.

In the capital, the metro briefly stopped running but appeared to have resumed within an hour, while residents received warnings from their local borough chiefs to check for any gas leaks.

“I wanted to run out but I wasn’t dressed. That was so strong,” said Kelvin Hwang, a guest at a downtown hotel who sought shelter in the lift lobby on the ninth floor.

Two buildings in Taiwan’s eastern city of Hualien had collapsed, near the quake’s epicentre, a fire department official told AFP.
“Two buildings have collapsed and some people are believed to be trapped. We don’t have more information at the moment,” said the official.

A building knocked off its foundation’s in Taiwan.

🇹🇼 | Momento del Terremoto M7.4, sobre la línea Wenhu de Taipei, #Taiwán. (Abril 03, 2024). #Sismo#Temblor#Earthquake#Climagram

M Crocodile ✓. pic.twitter.com/yy38Jmyv73

— ⚠️Alerta Climagram🌎 (@deZabedrosky) April 3, 2024

The quake has also affected power supplies, with more than 91,000 households without electricity, the CEOC told CNN.

The CEOC also said some train services in eastern Taiwan had been suspended, but it’s estimated they would be up and running by the end of the day.

INCREDIBLE IMAGES

In the capital Taipei, tiles fell from older buildings and within some newer office complexes.
In New Taipei, incredible images show the debris of a collapsed giant factory warehouse.

Taiwan’s central news agency reported that nearly 10,00 households were without power as restoration operations got underway.

A factory warehouse collapsed in New Taipei.

Footage shows major destruction on Guishan Island (aka Turtle Mountain Island), a turtle-shaped island off the coast of Yilan in Eastern Taiwan. Between 1977 and 2000 it became the site of a military base, and currently it is managed as a tourist destination and natural conservation area.

BREAKING: Massive destruction on Guishan Island (Turtle Mountain Island), a turtle-shaped island off the coast of Yilan in Eastern Taiwan, amid strong earthquake pic.twitter.com/ZdyRUuQVcE

— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) April 3, 2024

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake had a magnitude of 7.4, with its epicentre 18 kilometres south of Taiwan’s Hualien City at a depth of 34.8 km.

The Philippines’ seismology agency issued a tsunami warning, with coastal areas fronting the Pacific Ocean expected to experience “high tsunami waves”.

Footage shared online shows major damage in Hualien City, Taiwan.

There are fears people are trapped inside the collapsed buildings.

People in the coastal areas in several provinces were advised to immediately evacuate to higher grounds or move further inland, the advisory read.

The tremor was felt all in the capital, Taipei, with reports of objects coming off walls.
Footage shows train lines in Taipei coming to a halt after damage to tracks.

The quake was felt in Fuzhou, Xiamen, Quanzhou and Ningde in China’s Fujian province, according to Chinese state media.

Commuters on a Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) platform as a train stops during the quake in Taipei. Picture: CNA / AFP

Japan’s southern islands were on alert for a tsunami.

A collapsed building in Taiwan.

QUAKE STRONGEST IN DECADES

Officials said the earthquake was the strongest felt on the island in decades.
“The earthquake is close to land and it’s shallow. It’s felt all over Taiwan and offshore islands,” said Wu Chien-fu, director of Taipei’s Central Weather Administration’s Seismology Center.
“It’s the strongest in 25 years since the (1999) earthquake,” he told reporters.
A 7.6-magnitude quake hit Taiwan in September 1999, killing around 2400 people in the deadliest natural disaster in the island’s history.

Wu warned that authorities are not ruling out that “there will be earthquakes with magnitude of 6.5 to 7 in three days which will be relatively close to the land”.
“The public should pay attention to relevant warnings and messages and be prepared for earthquake evacuation.”

The National Hualien Girls' High School in Hualien was damaged in the earthquake. Picture: AFP

Emergency workers assisting a survivor after he was rescued from a damaged building in New Taipei City. Picture: CNA/AFP

Taiwan is regularly hit by earthquakes as the island lies near the junction of two tectonic plates, while nearby Japan experiences around 1500 jolts every year.

The vast majority of quakes around the area are mild, although the damage they cause varies according to the depth of the epicentre below the Earth’s surface and its location.

The severity of tsunamis — vast and potentially destructive series of waves that can move at hundreds of kilometres per hour — also depends on multiple factors.

Japan’s biggest earthquake on record was a massive 9.0-magnitude undersea jolt in March 2011 off Japan’s northeast coast, which triggered a tsunami that left around 18,500 people dead or missing.

The 2011 catastrophe also sent three reactors into meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant, causing Japan’s worst post-war disaster and the most serious nuclear accident since Chernobyl.

Japan saw a major quake on New Year’s Day this year, when a 7.5-magnitude tremor hit the Noto Peninsula and killed more than 230 people, many of them when older buildings collapsed.

– with AFP

Originally published as Taiwan 7.4 earthquake: CCTV footage shows last moments before Aussies went missing in Taiwan