Counting the cost "This is the most serious damage we have seen'

In the first moments after the earthquake hit, Lanni Hsu grabbed her family and her dog and fled. Running down five flights of stairs, she headed outdoors to seek safety from falling objects.

- Gregor Stuart Hunter, Chi Hui Lin

Hsu lives in Hualien, a busy tourist city on Taiwan's east coast, where the 7.2-magnitude quake struck yesterday morning.

Hualien's people are no strangers to deadly earthquakes. Even so, this was the most frightened Hsu had felt, she said. While her panicstricken neighbours wondered what to do next, they learned that the basement of their building was starting to flood. Fearing the building could collapse, they decided to leave.

As Hsu and her family drove in search of an open space for refuge, the city's streets became clogged with traffic and emergency vehicles. She could hear the earth rumble as the aftershocks hit.

Yesterday's earthquake, which hit south-east of Hualien, is the strongest in Taiwan in almost 25 years, and for intensity almost matches the "921" earthquake, named after the date it took place, 21 September 1999, which left more than 2,400 people dead.

Hualien's people have faced many serious earthquakes in recent years. In September 2022, a 6.9-magnitude quake with its epicentre near the city toppled buildings and derailed a train, killing one person and cutting off power for thousands of residents.