TAIPEI, April 7 – Taiwan rescue helicopters flew sorties Saturday (Apr 6) to pluck tourists to safety after a massive earthquake cut off roads and blocked tunnels, leaving hundreds stranded for days in the mountains.
At least 12 people were killed and more than 1,100 injured by the magnitude 7.2 quake that struck the island on Wednesday, with strict building codes and widespread disaster readiness credited with averting an even bigger catastrophe.
Rescuers were also planning to bring in heavy equipment to try to recover two bodies buried under boulders on a hiking trail.
At least four more people remain missing on the same Shakadang Trail in Taroko National Park, famed for its rugged mountainous terrain. Search and recovery work was set to resume after being called off on Friday afternoon because of aftershocks.
More than 600 people, including about 450 at a hotel in the Taroko park, remained stranded in various locations cut off by rockslides and other damage.
