Dharamshala — His Holiness the Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of Tibet, wrote to Ms. Tsai Ing-wen, President of Taiwan, the Republic of China, to express his sadness to learn of the loss of life and extensive devastation of property and infrastructure that has taken place during a powerful earthquake off the east coast of Taiwan.
The earthquake occurred at 7.58am (local time), with a magnitude of 7.4 in southern Hualien County, Taiwan, on April 3, 2024. According to reports, more than 1,000 people were injured and around 10 people died as a result of this earthquake. The world leaders, including Indian President Narendra Modi and His Holiness the Dalai Lama, expresses their solidarity with the Taiwanese people and those particularly affected and and pray for a speedy recovery from the earthquake.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama wrote a solidarity letter to Ms Tsai Ing-wen, President of Taiwan, on April 3, 2024, to express his sadness at the loss of life, the injuries and the damage to property and infrastructure caused by a powerful earthquake off the east coast of Taiwan.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama wrote, "I pray for those who have lost their lives, as well as for the many who have been injured as a result of this natural disaster. I offer my condolences to Your Excellency and to the families of all who have been affected by this tragedy."
"I commend your Government and its concerned agencies for their swift response as they seek to rescue the injured and provide relief to those who need help," His Holiness wrote. The spiritual leader of Tibet concluded his solidarity letter with prayers.
President Narendra Modi wrote on his Twitter (x) on April 3, 3024, "Deeply saddened by the loss of lives due to earthquakes in Taiwan today. Our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and wishes for a speedy recovery to the injured. We stand in solidarity with the resilient people of Taiwan as they endure the aftermath and recover from it."
Rescue and relief operations are continuing in Taiwan, with large numbers of people being rescued and searched for. It is reported that 700 people are still missing.
