Emergency responders have successfully rescued seventy-five individuals who were marooned in different tunnels within Hualien County.
The NFA also said that two German nationals who were earlier trapped in a tunnel in Hualien County had been freed.
Three hikers were among the fatalities in Hualien County, which included falling rocks in the popular tourist destination Taroko Gorge, according to the NFA.
According to the NFA, two road tunnels in northern Hualien County are home to the majority of those who are stranded.
On the sparsely populated east coast of the island, Hualien County contains mountainous and remote areas. The county has a population of approximately 300,000.
The National Fire Agency reported that over 100 buildings were damaged on the island, with roughly half of those occurring in Hualien County.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Hualien County Magistrate Hsu Chen-wei was informing reporters that rescue and search efforts were still underway at the nine-story Uranus Building, which had partially collapsed and trapped residents.
NEUTRAL
three hours before.
Written by Fiona Nimoni for BBC News.
Credit: Getty Images/AFP.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a bill reducing the age of military mobilization from 27 to 25 years old by two years.
After two years of fighting, Russia has benefited from a significant manpower advantage, while Kyiv has suffered significant losses in the ranks.
With more people available, Ukraine will be able to replenish its reserves after a decline in volunteerism.
It was in December that Mr. Zelensky declared the need for an additional 500,000 troops.
The bill was approved by the Ukrainian parliament in May 2023, but Mr. Zelensky failed to sign it, so it never became effective.
Separately, the plans for a €100 billion (£86 billion) five-year fund to give Ukraine long-term military support were to be discussed by NATO foreign ministers in Brussels.
When asked if the estimate was accurate, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg responded that while the framework was still being finalized, allies of the alliance concurred that Ukraine required additional funding for an extended period of time.
He claimed that Russia was “pushing” its way onto the Ukrainian battlefield in an attempt to win the conflict by “waiting us out.”.
The reason for President Zelensky’s approval of the law lowering the mobilization age was not immediately apparent, but he has previously issued a warning about Russia’s potential plans to launch an offensive in the spring or summer of this year.
This move may represent an attempt by Ukraine to erect robust defenses ahead of a Russian attack.
The goal of the Ukrainian forces was to retake large areas of land that Russia had gained and cut off Russian supplies to Crimea.
However, Kiev’s counteroffensive came to an abrupt halt at the beginning of winter due to a lack of air superiority and strong Russian defenses, raising concerns that Russian forces might outgun Ukraine.
Zelensky: Ukraine requests an additional 500,000 soldiers.
Maps showing the Ukraine War: Russia makes only modest gains.
General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi of Ukraine forewarned last year that troops had already been forced to scale back some military operations due to a decline in foreign aid.
Ukraine has become increasingly dependent on supplies from the West, especially when it comes to air defense systems and long-range missiles. Billions of pounds in aid from the US and the EU, however, have been delayed due to political disputes.
Although Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that over 600,000 of his soldiers are engaged in combat in Ukraine, he has not disclosed the number of Russian soldiers who have died in that conflict.
Around 90 percent of Russia’s military forces at the beginning of the invasion, according to a classified US intelligence report that was made public in December, were thought to have been lost or injured since the war’s commencement, or 315,000 Russian soldiers.
