A 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit south of the city of Hualien, Taiwan on Wednesday morning just before 8 a.m. local time. This is the strongest earthquake to hit the island in nearly 25 years.

Emergency rescue crews are racing against the clock searching for survivors, but the region hit is remote coastal or mountain communities, making it difficult to reach. The area has a population of about 300,000, with roughly 100,000 living in the main city of Hualien.

At least nine people are already reported dead; over 1,000 injured and over 130 people are still missing. Over 100 buildings have been damaged and there are over 91,000 power outages.

There have been at least 29 aftershocks so far, greater than 4.0 magnitude and tremors have been felt all across the island. Tremors as high as 7 magnitudes are possible in the coming days.

By - FZ