In 1935, Taiwan was hit by its deadliest earthquake in recent history. The Hsinchu Taichung earthquake struck near the island’s west coast and resulted in over 3,200 deaths, as reported by the Central Weather Administration. With a magnitude of 7.1, it was one of the most devastating earthquakes globally. Over 12,000 individuals were injured and tens of thousands of homes were demolished.
In 1999, Taiwan experienced another catastrophic event with an earthquake that had a magnitude of 7.6, resulting in over 2,400 deaths. This earthquake was one of the most devastating events in the island’s history as more than 100,000 homes were either damaged or destroyed.
Fast forward to Wednesday’s earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4 that hit southern Taiwan and caused a collapse of a 17-story building in Tainan City, resulting in at least 116 fatalities. The epicenter of this earthquake was in Taiwan’s central mountain range and Tainan being the most severely impacted area. The disaster resulted in disruption to water supply to many individuals and caused a significant chasm on the ground.
