TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The death toll from the Hualien earthquake rose to 13 on Saturday (April 6) after three bodies were found on the Shakadang Trail in Taroko National Park.
Six people were reported missing on the popular hiking trail in Hualien County. They included two parents and their three children, and a woman.
A rescue team using dogs found two bodies Friday (April 5) but was unable to identify the dead, per CNA. A third body found Saturday was named as a 21-year-old woman surnamed Hu (胡).
The authorities continued to report six missing, including a couple from Singapore who also held Australian passports. They were last seen boarding a bus to Taroko Gorge before the magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck at 7:58 a.m. Wednesday (April 3), UDN reported.
According to the Central Emergency Operation Center, there were 1,145 people injured and 442 people trapped in the quake, mainly due to roads blocked by rocks. The constant aftershocks made the work of rescue and repair teams difficult, the authorities said.
A seven-member search team from Turkey specialized in the use of drones to find survivors was scheduled to arrive in Taiwan on Saturday evening, according to Interior Minister Lin Yu-chang (林右昌). The group was planning to join the search efforts in Hualien County on Sunday (April 7).