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Seven dead, hundreds injured in most powerful Taiwan quake in 25 years
By Francesca Hangeior
At least seven people were killed and more than 700 injured Wednesday by a powerful earthquake in Taiwan that damaged dozens of buildings and prompted tsunami warnings that extended to Japan and the Philippines before being lifted.
Officials said the quake was the strongest to shake the island in decades, and warned of more tremors in the days ahead.
“The earthquake is close to land and it’s shallow. It’s felt all over Taiwan and offshore islands,” said Wu Chien-fu, director of Taipei’s Central Weather Administration’s Seismology Center.
Strict building regulations and widespread public disaster awareness appear to have staved off a major catastrophe for the earthquake-prone island, which lies near the junction of two tectonic plates.
Wu said the quake was the strongest since a 7.6-magnitude struck in September 1999, killing around 2,400 people in the deadliest natural disaster in the island’s history.
Wednesday’s magnitude-7.4 quake hit just before 8:00 am local time (0000 GMT), with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) putting the epicentre 18 kilometres (11 miles) south of Taiwan’s Hualien City, at a depth of 34.8 kilometres.
Three people among a group of seven on an early-morning hike through the hills that surround the city were crushed to death by boulders loosened by the earthquake, officials said.
Separately, the drivers of a truck and a car died when their vehicles were hit by tumbling boulders, while another man died at a mine.
The National Fire Agency said all the deaths occurred in Hualien county, and that so far 736 people had been injured in the quake, without specifying how seriously.
Social media was awash with shared video and images from around the country of buildings swaying as the quake struck.
“It was shaking violently, the paintings on the wall, my TV and liquor cabinet fell,” one man in Hualien told broadcaster SET TV.
Dramatic images were shown on local TV of multi-storey structures in Hualien and elsewhere tilting after the quake ended, while a warehouse in New Taipei City crumbled.
The mayor there said more than 50 survivors had been successfully plucked from the ruins of the structure.
Local TV channels showed bulldozers clearing rocks along the main route to Hualien, a mountain-ringed coastal city of around 100,000 people that has been cut off by landslides.
The main roads leading to the city pass through an extensive series of tunnels — some of them kilometres long — and officials said many people and vehicles could be trapped inside.
“We must carefully check how many people are trapped and we must rescue them quickly,” president-elect and current Vice-President Lai Ching-te told reporters in Hualien.
President Tsai Ing-wen called for local and central government agencies to coordinate with each other, and said the military would also be providing support.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) Legislators’ Forum has strongly condemned the latest move by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to secure Senate approval for an additional external loan of $516,333,070, ostensibly for the Sokoto–Badagry Super Highway project.
This was contained in a statement issued and signed by the regional leaders of the Forum: Hon. Uko Ndukwe Nkole ,PhDChairmanADC -National Legislators’ Forum African Democratic Congress (ADC)
Hon Nnenna Ukeje-SEHon Sergius Ogun-SSHon Ajagbe H -SWHon Zakari Mohammed -NCHon Koko Shehu -NWHon Maigari Bello M-NE stating that:
“This request is not only alarming but emblematic of an administration that has made reckless borrowing its default economic policy, with little regard for sustainability, accountability, or the wellbeing of future generations.
“While no responsible opposition undermines the importance of infrastructure development, we must ask: at what cost, and under what conditions? This government has failed to convincingly demonstrate that its endless appetite for loans is guided by a coherent, transparent, and economically viable repayment strategy.
“Instead, Nigerians are witnessing a troubling pattern; one where debt accumulation is prioritized over prudent fiscal management, innovation, and domestic resource mobilization.
“Nigeria is already weighed down by a crushing debt burden, with debt servicing swallowing a staggering proportion of national revenue. Yet, rather than confronting this reality with discipline and reform, the Tinubu administration continues to plunge the country deeper into what can only be described as a looming debt catastrophe. Each new loan tightens the noose around the nation’s economic sovereignty, leaving future generations to pay for today’s lack of foresight.
“Even more disturbing is the timing of this request. As the nation inches closer to a major general election cycle, Nigerians are right to question the motives behind this borrowing spree.
” Is this truly about development, or is it another attempt to create avenues for political patronage and electoral advantage? History has taught us to be wary of last-minute, large-scale financial commitments made under the guise of national interest.
“The ADC Legislators’ Forum insists that the National Assembly must not act as a rubber stamp or Pro group of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in this matter.
“The Senate, in particular, must rise to its constitutional responsibility by demanding full disclosure of the project’s financial details, procurement processes, cost-benefit analysis, and a credible repayment plan.
“Anything short of this would amount to a betrayal of public trust.
“Furthermore, we call on the administration to redirect its focus toward policies that can genuinely strengthen Nigeria’s economy; policies that promote productivity, industrial growth, job creation, and the plugging of revenue leakages.
“Borrowing should never be a substitute for leadership, creativity, and accountability.
“We must clearly state that governance is not a free ride without consequences. Those who make decisions today that endanger the economic future of millions of Nigerians must understand that a day of reckoning will inevitably come. The Nigerian people will demand answers, accountability, and justice for policies that have deepened hardship and mortgaged the nation’s destiny.
“Nigeria stands at a critical crossroads. We can either choose the path of responsibility, discipline, and sustainable growth, or continue down this perilous road of debt dependency and economic vulnerability. The Tinubu administration must decide where it stands; but Nigerians are watching, and history will not be kind to those who fail this nation.
At least one ISWAP fighter has been captured alive while top commander identified as Abu Umar Bundi Munzir has been neutralised alongside 24 other insurgents in Borno.
The development followed a foiled coordinated attack on Kukareta community in Borno by troops of Operation HADIN KAI.
Maj.-Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar, Theartre Commander, North East Operation Hadin Kai, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Maiduguri on Thursday, while providing situational update on the failed attack by ISWAP terrorists.
NAN report that the insurgents launched the attack in the early hours of Thursday, shortly after midnight, in an attempt to overrun the location but were decisively engaged by troops of Sector 2 in a sustained counter-offensive that lasted till about 3;00 a.m.
Abubakar said that during the encounter, the terrorists’ commander, Abu Umar Bundi Munzir, was reportedly among those neutralised as troops repelled the assault and forced the remaining attackers into a disorganised withdrawal.
The theartre commander also confirmed that a total of 24 other terrorists were killed in the operation, bringing the overall neutralised figure to 25.
”Troops subsequently conducted exploitation of the battlefield, leading to the recovery of a large cache of arms and ammunition, including 18 AK-47 rifles, three General Purpose Machine Guns, two PKT automatic anti-aircraft guns and three RPG tubes.
”Others include two mortar tubes, four hand grenades, 18 AK-47 magazines, and large quantities of belted 7.62mm ammunition,” he said.
According to him, two soldiers sustained gunshot wounds during the encounter and have since been stabilised, while an armoured reinforcement vehicle had its tyres damaged during the firefight.
He added that further exploitation operations were ongoing to recover fleeing terrorists bodies, and abandoned equipment along withdrawal routes reportedly marked by blood trails and medical items.
The commander described the operation as a significant success in ongoing counter-insurgency efforts, noting that sustained pressure would be maintained to deny terrorist elements freedom of action in the North-East theatre.
(NAN)
The All Progressives Congress has officially rescheduled its presidential and governorship primary elections ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The party’s Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Duro Meseko, announced the change in Abuja this Thursday, stating that the presidential primary earlier slated for May 15 and 16 will now hold on May 23, 2026, while the governorship primaries are set for May 21.
Meseko explained that the adjustment was made to align with the revised timetable released by the Independent National Electoral Commission and the 2026 Electoral Act.
The party also confirmed that nomination forms will be available to all interested aspirants starting this Saturday, April 25 to Saturday, May 2, with no exclusive reservations for any individuals.
APC shifts presidential primary to May 23, 2026, releases revised 2027 election timetable
$516m loan request: Tinubu’s borrowing bonanza mortgaging Nigeria’s future
Troops repel attack, rescue abductees in Sokoto
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