Updated
Apr 03, 2024, 03:26 PM
Published
Apr 03, 2024, 03:05 PM
SINGAPORE – Climbing enthusiasts Rachael Tay and her husband, Mr David Wilkins, were about to dig into their breakfast in northern Taiwan when a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck.
Ms Tay, 54, said: “The whole cottage started to shake. It was pretty scary. Things like plates and cups started rattling.”
The Singaporeans were experiencing the earthquake that rocked Taiwan on the morning of April 3.
It is the strongest to hit the island in 25 years, killing at least seven, injuring dozens and triggering tsunami warnings for the territory, southern Japan and the Philippines.
The couple were on a rock-climbing trip, staying at the coastal town of Jinguashi. The tremor, which sent the cottage swaying, lasted about 10 seconds, according to Ms Tay.
The business director said: “We were looking at each other going, ‘Oh my goodness, what just happened?’ before scrambling to look for news.”
The earthquake struck at 7.58am.
Mere minutes later, the couple’s smartphones buzzed to life with an alert from the Taiwan government’s weather institution, which warned them to quickly evacuate to a shelter or higher ground as a tsunami could hit by 8.39am.
Ms Tay said: “We didn’t realise the severity of the earthquake until we followed the news and found out that this was the strongest earthquake since September 1999.”...