Injured Filipinos from Taiwan earthquake now 4 —DMW

A fourth Filipino has been reported injured in the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that rocked Taiwan on Wednesday morning.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) office-in-charge Hans Leo Cacdac said the fourth Filipino casualty sustained head injuries due to falling debris.

"She is out of harm's way and is being treated by a doctor," Cacdac said. 

Three Filipinos in Taiwan have earlier been reported as slightly injured due to the earthquake, the strongest in Taiwan in 25 years.

In a statement, the DMW said its Migrant Workers Offices in Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung are monitoring the situation in Taiwan and will provide assistance to OFWs who need assistance.

Wednesday's earthquake in Taiwan's sparsely populated eastern county of Hualien killed 10 people, leaving hundreds of people stranded in a national park as boulders barreled down mountains, cutting off roads.

Taiwanese rescuers were looking for 18 people still missing as of Friday.

Among those missing were four foreigners previously listed as being Indian, Canadian and Australian.

Another six people are missing on a hiking trail, and a 45-person rescue team is trying to reach them, according to Taiwan's fire department.

Rescuers have confirmed that around 400 people cut off at a luxury hotel in the Taroko Gorge national park are safe, and has been helicoptering in supplies and taking out those injured.

Around 50 aftershocks rattled Hualien overnight, some felt in the capital Taipei.

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. —with Reuters/KBK, GMA Integrated News