Two Indians missing after Taiwan earthquake, search operations underway

Two Indians are reportedly missing after Taiwan was hit by 7.7 magnitude earthquake--strongest in 25 years.
The missing Indians are a man and a woman, who were last seen in Taroko Gorge, close to epicenter, according to media reports.

In the early hours of Wednesday, Taiwan was rattled with an earthquake of 7.7 magnitude, which killed nine people and left over thousand injured. Taiwan's fire department confirmed that 1,038 people are injured and 52 have been missing.

Several thousand Indians, which includes 3,000 students, have been living in Taiwan. The quake's epicenter lay off the coast of rural, mountainous Hualien County, where some buildings leaned at severe angles, their ground floors crushed, Hindustan Times reported.

Just over 150 kilometers (93 miles) away in the capital of Taipei, tiles fell from older buildings, and schools evacuated their students to sports fields, equipping them with yellow safety helmets, the report said.

Authorities are taking help of drones and helicopters to find people in the gorge. They are also dropping supplies when they are found. 

According to reports, some 70 people have already been evacuated from the tunnels close to Hualien city, which includes two Germans.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed grief over the tragedy and the loss of lives in the earthquake.

“Deeply saddened by the loss of lives due to the earthquake in Taiwan today. Our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and wishes for a speedy recovery to the injured. We stand in solidarity with the resilient people of Taiwan as they endure the aftermath and recover from it,” he said in a post on X.

Replying to the prime minister's post, outgoing Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said, “We are deeply grateful for your kind words and support, @narendramodi, at this challenging time. Your solidarity means a great deal to the people of Taiwan as we all work toward a swift recovery."