SINGAPORE: Taiwan rescuers on Sunday (Apr 7) said they have narrowed down the search perimeter for the two missing Singaporeans following a magnitude 7.2 earthquake on Wednesday.
In CCTV footage from a shuttle bus released on Sunday morning, authorities said that the couple alighted at the Shakadang trail in Hualien’s Taroko National Park at about 7.20am on Wednesday, about 40 minutes before the quake struck.
A separate footage provided on Saturday showed the couple standing in line at a bus station in Hualien City at about 6.30am on Wednesday. Authorities said then that the bus driver could not remember where the couple had alighted.
The missing pair have been identified as Sim Hwee Kok and Neo Siew Choo, according to a Facebook group named Hualien Earthquake Relief Information.
Rescuers calculated their hiking path based on the bus’ CCTV footage and narrowed down the search area, Taiwan’s emergency response unit said on Sunday.
The search and rescue efforts comprised different ground teams, including the drone units from Türkiye, it added.
“We are searching the perimeter of that trail”, said search Commander Lin Youchang.