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| TAIWAN EARTHQUAKE | |
 September 20, 1999 
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-- Posted 6:00 PM ET |
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Rescue workers in Taiwan are scrambling this evening to assess the
damage of an earthquake that shook the island before dawn, wrecking
a 12-story hotel in Taipei and reportedly killing at least 20. The U.S. Geological Survey National Earthquake Information Center said
the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 and was centered 90 miles
south-southwest of Taipei. Thousands of sleeping Taiwanese fled to the
streets following the quake, many wearing nothing more than nightshirts. The quake and numerous tremors wrecked the 78-room Sungshan Hotel in
Taipei. The building's three lower floors collapsed, where according
to officials, 25 people were pulled from the rubble and sent to hospitals. Spared from injury, Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne was sleeping in a top
floor of the Grant Hyatt Regency in Taipei when the earthquake hit.
Kempthorne is in Taipei as part of a two-week trade mission. "We've been through quite an experience," Kempthorne told
the Associated Press. "I think many of us thought we might be done
for." The quake occurred at about 1:45 a.m. local time and knocked out power
throughout the northern part of the island, complicating rescue efforts.
According to news reports, damage is widespread and fears are growing
that large numbers of people might be trapped in fallen buildings. In addition, the Broadcasting Corp. of China reported that a row of houses collapsed as well in Chang Hua county in central Taiwan, injuring at least three. |
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