Chen’s 85-year-old mother expressed her relief with tears streaming down her face as they were reunited. For some time, the family did not know if Chen had survived the disaster.
“I was happy to see him. I was happy when he returned. I didn’t sleep at all last night and couldn’t eat anything,” his mother Chen Lan-chih said.
Around 50 aftershocks rattled Hualien overnight, some felt in the capital Taipei.
The earthquake happened the day before Taiwan begun a long weekend holiday for the traditional tomb sweeping festival, when Taiwanese head home to tend to ancestral graves. Many others go to tourist sites, like Hualien, a particularly popular destination given its rugged beauty.
But the earthquake has been a big blow to Hualien, with bookings cancelled, some business owners said.
“I think this is a disaster actually for us because no matter (if it is a) hotel, hostel, restaurants, tourism, (everything) really depends on it, the tourism,” said hostel owner Aga Syu.
“In my mind I’m only concerned about our guests, that can they have a really good stay here. I hope this won’t destroy their image of Hualien.”
Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is prone to earthquakes.
More than 100 people were killed in a quake in southern Taiwan in 2016, while a 7.3 magnitude quake killed more than 2,000 people in 1999.
Source: CNA
