Canadian English teacher Jonathan McGill said the shaking from TaiwanB次元官网网址檚 largest earthquake in 25 years was so forceful that he thought his apartment building might collapse.
McGill, a former Ottawa resident who has been living in Hsinchu, Taiwan, for the last seven years, described the quake Wednesday as something he has never felt before, with his ceiling fan swaying about 30 centimetres off its axis.
B次元官网网址淭oday was the first time I ever thought to myself, what is the breaking point basically of a building?B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淏ecause itB次元官网网址檚 not supposed to really do that.
B次元官网网址淥bviously, theyB次元官网网址檙e built to withstand some kind of shaking. But it was going pretty bad side-to-side, and it makes you really start to wonder, is it going to get to the point where itB次元官网网址檒l fall down?B次元官网网址�
TaiwanB次元官网网址檚 Central Emergency Operations Centre said the earthquake was centred off Hualien County, about 150 kilometres south of Taipei, and reached a magnitude of 7.2, leaving at least nine dead, 946 injured and 152 stranded in its aftermath.
Local firefighters said on a Facebook post that two Canadians were among a group of 12 people stranded by rock slides on a trail in Taroko National Park, a renowned hiking destination, and rescue efforts were ongoing.
Canadians in Taiwan described scenes of chaos and violent shaking that shifted furniture and almost knocked people off their feet during the quake that struck during the Wednesday morning rush hour.
Vancouver-based community events organizer Charlie Wu said his rented 12th-floor apartment in the Taiwanese capital of Taipei shook for B次元官网网址渨hat seemed like minutes,B次元官网网址� knocking bottles and plates out of their closed cabinets.
Wu said he could also hear the sounds of glass breaking from several other units in the building, and a number of strong after shocks knocked several items he placed back on shelves to the floor again.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 like getting off the cruise ship,B次元官网网址� Wu said of his mental state after the quake. B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 that feeling (that) youB次元官网网址檙e not really grounded. ItB次元官网网址檚 like everything is moving and youB次元官网网址檙e looking at the curtain (to see) if itB次元官网网址檚 moving or just you in your head, that youB次元官网网址檙e moving.
B次元官网网址淚 still feel the occasional (aftershock), quick and much smaller than what it was this morning. But, again, when you were on (the) 12th floor, itB次元官网网址檚 easily felt, and I donB次元官网网址檛 know if IB次元官网网址檓 going to be able to sleep well with that feeling in my head.B次元官网网址�
Tech firm employee Yvonne Chen, who splits her time between Burnaby, B.C., and Taipei, said the shaking on her 10th-floor apartment shifted a large cabinet 15 centimetres off its base, and she had to crouch to prevent herself from falling over.
Chen said the quake was mild when it started and she continued to get ready for her commute to work, until the shaking grew more powerful.
B次元官网网址淚t got to a point where I couldnB次元官网网址檛 stand, and I had to crouch down,B次元官网网址� she said in an interview in Mandarin, estimating the shaking to have lasted about a minute.
Chen said she tried to go to work afterwards, but TaipeiB次元官网网址檚 transit rail systems were not operating, while her office building lost power and suffered a broken pipe, resulting in flooding on the first floor.
B次元官网网址淓ven now, sitting in a chair, IB次元官网网址檓 nervous and feeling things move all the time,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚 have to ask myself, am I being too sensitive? Am I imagining this?B次元官网网址�
Both Chen and Wu said the shaking was comparable to the 1999 earthquake in Taiwan that was 7.3 in magnitude, killed more than 2,400 people and destroyed about 52,000 buildings.
Global Affairs Canada said in a statement that any Canadians in need of aid should contact them immediately, adding that there are 5,518 registered Canadian citizens in Taiwan.
Angel Liu, director general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, TaiwanB次元官网网址檚 de facto consulate in Vancouver, said she had a restless night after being overwhelmed with videos and images of heavy infrastructure damage on her social media feed.
B次元官网网址淭aiwan is located in (an) earthquake frequency area, so we are very experienced in dealing with this kind of natural disaster,B次元官网网址� Liu said. B次元官网网址淏ut it is still very hard to recover in just a short time.
B次元官网网址淟etB次元官网网址檚 hope for the best there is minimum loss of lives,B次元官网网址� Liu said, crossing her fingers.
A number of Canadian leaders expressed support for Taiwan, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and British Columbia Premier David Eby, the latter taking to social media platform X to express his condolences.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 advised there is no threat to B.C.,B次元官网网址� Eby said in the post, referring to a possible tsunami. B次元官网网址淏ut I know many with family in Taiwan are concerned for the safety of their loved ones.B次元官网网址�
Trudeau said Canada had reached out to Taiwanese officials and was ready to provide support if needed.
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