President Ma Ying-jeou has called for all Taiwanese people to pray for victims of Saturday’s earthquake still trapped under rubble.
Ma was visiting earthquake survivors in a hospital in Tainan. He said he was deeply affected by the earthquake last Saturday, because it reminds him of the “921 earthquake” of 1999. More than 2000 were killed and over 10,000 injured in that earthquake, the most recent major earthquake to hit Taiwan.
Ma thanked the Tainan City Government for their continued efforts to find and rescue survivors. He said that seamless collaboration between central and local government since the earthquake struck has been very effective, setting a good example for collaborative rescue efforts.
Ma urged for comprehensive checks on the structural integrity of buildings. He also called on the health ministry to continue monitoring survivors’ mental health, and to provide them with necessary assistance.