Over the past two days, Hualien has been rocked by a string of earthquakes, including two over magnitude 6. The quakes led to the partial collapse of two buildings in Hualien. One was a hotel that had been vacant due to renovations. The other was a residential building that was heavily damaged after the April 3 quake. No casualties were reported.

At 2:26 a.m., a magnitude 6 earthquake struck Hualien, sending the Full Hotel building tilting to one side.

Police and firefighters rushed to the scene, calling out to potential casualties. During the rescue effort, another earthquake struck.

First responders cordoned off the area to prevent public access. After inspecting the site, they confirmed that the hotel was empty, as it had been closed for renovations. No casualties were reported.

Teng Zeu-yu
Hualien County Economic Affairs Department
We’re starting by dismantling public facilities in the vicinity, such as that traffic light. The procedure will be similar to the demolition of the Uranus Building. We’ll fill in the ground first to provide support to the building, so that it doesn’t tilt as much.

The temblor also further tilted the Tong Shuai Building, which was unoccupied after being marked for demolition following the April 3 earthquake. The first floor caved in, leaving the second floor at ground level. The Hualien County government established a disaster response command center, and Commissioner Hsu Chen-wei proceeded to the scene soon after.

Tong Shuai Building spokesperson
The building had already been marked for demolition. They had put support beams on the side. It was all normal before 5 or 6 today. But this last time, when we tried to go near after 5, they didn’t let us through.

Teng Zeu-yu
Hualien County Economic Affairs Department
If reinforcements can come over immediately, demolition work can start at the Tong Shuai Building. Due to the building’s size, the process should take about two weeks.

Work and classes were suspended in Hualien on Tuesday. The county government has advised residents to stay in open spaces in case another quake strikes.

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