- A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck the east coast of Taiwan on Wednesday, killing nine people and injuring more than 900. This is the strongest quake to hit the island in 25 years. Washington Post (LR: 2 CP: 5)
- According to the United States Geological Survey, the quake struck southwest of Hualien City at 7:58 a.m. local time, with Taiwan recording at least 58 aftershocks. Al Jazeera (LR: 2 CP: 1)
- The earthquake and aftershocks partially collapsed buildings, damaged roads and bridges, caused landslides, and triggered tsunami warnings. The number of missing has remained in flux as authorities conducted rescues. Associated Press (LR: 3 CP: 5)
- While rescue efforts have been underway, over 87K households in Taiwan are without power, and at least 77 people are still trapped in the rubble. The National
- Several small tsunami waves reportedly reached parts of Japan's Okinawa prefecture, while coastal residents in several Philippines provinces were asked to move to higher ground. Reuters (LR: 3 CP: 5)
- Taiwan, which experiences regular seismic activity, was hit by a 7.6-magnitude earthquake in September 1999, which killed 2.4K people. BBC News (LR: 3 CP: 5)
Narrative A:
- Since Taiwan lies on a tectonic boundary between the Eurasian Plate and the Philippine Sea Plate, the island is regularly jolted by earthquakes. However, the fact that Wednesday's powerful quake was felt in Shanghai, nearly 900 km (590 mi.) away, yet caused no significant damage or casualty shows that Taiwan's natural disaster response is world-class.
NEW YORK TIMES (LR: 2 CP: 5)
Narrative B:
- Taiwan may have a world-class seismological network, but its early warning system is still ancient, or Wednesday's massive earthquake wouldn't have taken aback the island. The quake will have a significant economic impact, particularly on Taiwan's semiconductor manufacturing sector, which provides nearly 90% of the world's most advanced microchips.
BLOOMBERG (LR: 3 CP: 5)
Nerd narrative:
- There's a 50% chance that at least 74.8K people will die as a result of the most deadly earthquake from 2020 to 2029, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
METACULUS (LR: 3 CP: 3)