Family of 6 has emotional return to S’pore after escaping building collapse during Taiwan earthquake

Family of 6 glad to be home after narrowly escaping Hualien earthquake

After narrowly escaping a building collapse during the Hualien earthquake in Taiwan firsthand, a family of six had an emotional return at Changi Airport on Friday (5 April) night.

They had been dining at a building when it tilted dangerously. Luckily, they managed to get out in time.

Upon their return, they described themselves as “overjoyed” to have escaped.

Family returns to Singapore after narrowly escaping building collapse during Taiwan earthquake

Shin Min Daily News reported that the family of six had been dining at a breakfast eatery when the earthquake occurred.

17 diners, including the family of six, managed to escape before anything more severe occurred.

After that, the family stayed at a Buddhist temple for two days before travelling to Taipei, accompanied by two temple staff.

They subsequently boarded a flight from Taipei back to Singapore on Friday (5 April) night and arrived at Changi Airport Terminal 2 at around 10.50pm.

They were visibly emotional upon their return, embracing their relatives who had gathered to welcome them home.

Glad to be home

In an interview with Shin Min, Ms Chen Suping (name transliterated from Chinese), a 56-year-old civil servant, kept emphasising how happy she was to have finally returned home.

“The mood is indescribable, I was on the plane. I was very happy when I was about to land, and I was very happy to return to my home as well as to see my family.”

She added that they experienced aftershocks while at the airport in Taiwan.

“We just wanted to come back soon,” she said, adding that she was grateful for her brother and sister-in-law’s help.

“Although my eldest brother and sister-in-law are in Singapore, they really helped us a lot. Without their help, we wouldn’t have known how to come back.”

Elder brother thought it was an ordinary earthquake

Ms Chen’s eldest brother Mr Chen Yonghan (name transliterated from Chinese), 62, said in an interview that when he first received a notice from his sister, he thought it was just an ordinary earthquake.

After learning that the situation was serious, he became very anxious.

“I was even more shocked when I saw what happened. Now, I’m glad that my family has returned safely and soundly, and I hope everything is well in Taiwan,” he told Shin Min.

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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News and Yahoo News Taiwan.