8 Singaporeans among 71 foreigners rescued in Hualien after massive quake

Eight Singaporeans were among 71 foreigners rescued by the Taiwanese authorities after being trapped in Hualien, following a strong earthquake that hit eastern Taiwan on April 3.

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Apart from the Singaporeans, those rescued included 25 people from Germany, seven from Switzerland, seven from the US, six from Britain, four from Israel, four from the Netherlands, three from Canada, three from France, two from Australia, and two from Hungary.

As at 4.30pm on April 4, a Canadian and two Australians were still missing, according to a statement by Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on April 3 that there had been no reports of Singaporeans injured.

Taiwanese rescuers worked on April 4 to reach scores of people trapped in highway tunnels as engineers began a massive clear-up operation after the island's biggest earthquake in a quarter of a century at 7.4-magnitude.

Ten people were killed and more than 1,000 were injured in the disaster, but strict building regulations and widespread public disaster awareness appeared to have staved off a major catastrophe.