Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government

Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin arrived at the Taipei Earth Treasure Temple on September 19 to attend the memorial service for the victims of the September 21 Earthquake.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the tragedy. Through the memorial service, Hau hoped to bring comfort to the survivors of the disaster; he led the attendees in praying to the deceased.

During his address, Hau said despite the passing of time, many people still cannot escape the memories of the violent tremors. A total of 2,415 people were killed on the island during the incident; the collapse of the Tunghsing Building – a structure in Taipei that collapsed during the quake – claimed 87 lives.

Hau added that the flashfloods brought Typhoon Marakot on also led to a tremendous loss of lives and properties; many people in southern Taiwan are still haunted by those terrible memories.

These tragedies were heartbreaking moments for many people, concluded Hau, but they also brought out the compassionate and caring nature of the Taiwanese people, as well as the support from the international community.