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Hotel Collapses as Quake Rattles Taiwan

A 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck Taiwan. (Getty Images)
A 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck Taiwan. (Getty Images)
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Hotel Collapses as Quake Rattles Taiwan

A 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck Taiwan. (Getty Images)
A 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck Taiwan. (Getty Images)

A 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck the northeastern city of Hualien in Taiwan in Tuesday, leading to the collapse of a hotel.

Two hotel employees were killed and 144 people were injured, officials said.

The quake struck about 22 kms (14 miles) northeast of the city shortly before midnight, and the epicenter was very shallow at just 1km, said the US Geological Survey.

Taiwan's official Central News Agency reported that the ground floor of the Marshal Hotel had caved in and people were believed to be trapped inside. The agency posted photos showing a road fractured in several parts.

Taiwanese media reported that aside from the cave in on the ground floor of the Marshal Hotel, a separate hotel known as the Beautiful Life Hotel, is tilting.

The tremor also forced the closure of a nearby highway, said the government.

An official from the Ministry of Interior’s fire station division told Reuters by phone that people were trapped in the buildings in Hualien.

A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck nearby on Sunday.

“The president (Tsai Ing-wen) has asked the cabinet and related ministries to immediately launch the ‘disaster mechanism’ and to work at the fastest rate on disaster relief work,” the president’s office said in a statement after the Tuesday earthquake.

Taiwan lies along the famed "Pacific Rim of Fire" known for seismic activity from Alaska to Southeast Asia.

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Taiwan President Warns of China's 'Infiltration' Effort, Vows Counter Measures

Taiwan President-elect Lai Ching-te, of Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP), holds a press conference, following the victory in the presidential elections, in Taipei, Taiwan January 13, 2024. (Reuters)
Taiwan President-elect Lai Ching-te, of Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP), holds a press conference, following the victory in the presidential elections, in Taipei, Taiwan January 13, 2024. (Reuters)
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Taiwan President Warns of China's 'Infiltration' Effort, Vows Counter Measures

Taiwan President-elect Lai Ching-te, of Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP), holds a press conference, following the victory in the presidential elections, in Taipei, Taiwan January 13, 2024. (Reuters)
Taiwan President-elect Lai Ching-te, of Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP), holds a press conference, following the victory in the presidential elections, in Taipei, Taiwan January 13, 2024. (Reuters)

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said on Thursday China has deepened its influence campaigns and infiltration against the democratic island, pledging measures to tackle Beijing's efforts to "absorb" Taiwan.
Taiwan has accused China of stepping up military drills, trade sanctions and influence campaigns against the island in recent years to force the island to accept Chinese sovereignty claims, Reuters said.
Speaking to reporters after holding a meeting with senior security officials, Lai said Beijing had used Taiwan's democracy to "absorb" various members of society including organized crime groups, media personalities, and current and former military and police officers.
"They (China) are carrying out activities such as division, destruction, and subversion from within us," Lai told a press briefing broadcast live from the presidential office.
China's Taiwan Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Citing government data, Lai said 64 people were charged for Chinese espionage
last year, three times more than in 2021. He said the majority of them were current or former military officials.
"Many are worried that our country, hard-earned freedom and democracy and prosperity will be lost bit by bit due to these influence campaigns and manipulation," Lai said.
By making these efforts, Lai said China constituted what Taiwan's Anti-Infiltration Act defined as "foreign hostile forces".
The president proposed 17 legal and economic countermeasures, including the strict review of Taiwan visits or residency applications by Chinese citizens, and proposals to resume the work of the military court.
Lai also said his government would make "necessary adjustments" to the flows of money, people and technology across the strait. He did not elaborate.
In addition, he said the government would issue "reminders" to Taiwanese actors and singers performing in China on their "statements and actions", a response to what Taipei sees as an ongoing Chinese campaign to pressure pop stars to make pro-Beijing comments.
"We have no choice but to take more active actions."
China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control.
Taiwan's government rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims and says only the island's people can decide their future.