20 Hongkongers appeal for help but are not in danger

The Immigration Department said it had received 20 requests for help from Hong Kong residents in Taiwan after a deadly earthquake rocked the island’s east coast and that those individuals caught up in the disaster were in safe places.

The quake was so strong more than 100 people in Hong Kong reported feeling minor tremors.

The department said it would continue to maintain close contact with those affected and monitor the situation.

The Travel Industry Council said there were about 30 tour groups – 900 people – in Taiwan at present, with only two or three of them in badly hit Yilan. There were no reports of groups in Hualien, close to the epicentre.

The council said it had not had any requests for help. It added two charter tour groups were scheduled to go to Hualien yesterday, but the itineraries were changed after the earthquake hit.

More than 10 regular groups were scheduled to leave for Taiwan yesterday and today, but Hualien was not on the itinerary, the council said.

Damage in Taipei City, about 120km north of Hualien, was also significant. Alan Chan, a Hong Kong retiree who has lived in Taipei for seven years, said it was the first time he felt his life was threatened. He said wall tiles in his flat were dislodged and a large fridge sent sliding a significant distance. “The building was swinging back and forth and it sounded like riding on a roller coaster. I was really scared.”

Chan said he had experienced earthquakes often on the island, but this one was “major”.

Cherry Leung, a tour leader with travel agency EGL, is escorting 20 Hong Kong residents on a five-day visit covering Taichung, Miaoli and Taipei. She said they were in a hotel in Taichung when the earthquake struck.

“I was in my room when the doors of the wardrobe started flapping open. Even the cable of the hairdryer was swinging – it lasted about 20 seconds,” Leung added.

She said a warning message from the Taiwan authorities was sent to mobile phones about two seconds before the tremor. Many guests used the stairs to evacuate and gather at an open area after the first tremors were felt.

“About 10 minutes after the earthquake, there was an aftershock – it was shaky,” Leung said.

She added that the tour continued to Taipei by road as scheduled and was scheduled to return to Hong Kong today.

Hong Kong singer-songwriter Serruria Leung Ka-yan said she was asleep in her room at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Taipei when she felt the tremors. “I hid under an armchair, watching the chandelier break apart,” she said on Instagram.

The Airport Authority in Hong Kong said at 7.30pm that flights from Hong Kong to Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung were not affected. The Observatory said a sea-level anomaly of around 7cm was observed near Shek Pik at about 1pm, probably because of a tsunami.

Hongkongers reported feeling minor shakes for several seconds and the Observatory said it had received over 100 reports. It graded the city tremors a three on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale – similar to vibrations caused by passing light trucks.

The building was swinging back and forth and it sounded like riding on a roller coaster

ALAN CHAN, TAIPEI CITY RESIDENT