Release Date: February 8, 2018
On the afternoon of February 8, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), on behalf of the government, expressed heartfelt mourning and condolences for the citizens and mainland Chinese victims of the powerful earthquake in Hualien occurred on February 6.
As of noon on February 8, the earthquake had claimed the lives of four independent travelers visiting from the Mainland and left five Mainland tourists and a married couple from Hong Kong missing. Six Mainland visitors have been sent to Tzu Chi Hospital. Four were lightly injured or suffered from skin abrasions and two were uninjured. Two Hong Kong and Macao residents also suffered minor injuries and have been discharged from hospital. In addition, 13 Mainlanders are receiving assistance from related units in dealing with lost documentation. At noon on February 8, the MAC and the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) notified the Taiwan Affairs Office and the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) of the status of Mainland visitors killed or missing in the disaster.
The MAC stated that, on the afternoon of February 8, Minister Chang Hsiao-yueh went to Hualien to meet with families of the victims and express mourning and condolences for the victims. She instructed colleagues to provide full assistance for the visitors from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macao injured or killed. Since February 8, MAC personnel have been stationed in Hualien to assist with follow-up affairs. At the same time, the MAC is keeping abreast of the condition of Mainland, Hong Kong, and Macao victims of the disaster in Taiwan. It is also coordinating with the National Immigration Agency, the SEF and related units to provide all necessary assistance to the Mainland visitors affected by the disaster with affairs related to lost documentation, family visits, and other matters.
The MAC called on the people of Taiwan to join together in prayer for the victims of the earthquake and in hope that the departed may rest in peace, the wounded may recover soon, and that the families of the victims may soon heal from their grief.