Nearly a thousand people are trapped in the mountains of Taroko National Park, in Hualien county (southeast of Taiwan), as a result of the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that shook the island’s east coast this Wednesday, the state agency reported. CNAnews.

According to estimates by park authorities, at least 654 people, including tourists and employees, were in Taroko at the time of the earthquake and several hundred entered the park later, raising the number of stranded people to close to a thousand.

After establishing an emergency center, Taroko National Park is contacting mountaineering teams “one by one,” although it has not yet determined the exact number of people who entered the mountain during the day, CNA said.

The park will remain closed until April 7 and its officials asked visitors to avoid areas that have been damaged by the earthquake.

Hualien county has been the most affected by the earthquake, the most serious in Taiwan since 1999: at least four people – three mountain climbers and a truck driver – died in this area, according to the latest official figures.

The earthquake caused the collapse of several sections of road and the blockade of the Suhua Highway, as well as the cancellation of trains to Hualien, making it difficult to transport by land and the release of people stranded in the mountain.

The island’s president-elect and current vice president, William Lai (Lai Ching-te), will visit Hualien this afternoon to learn about the magnitude of the disaster and the progress of rescue efforts, the state news agency said.