Taiwan's Turtle Island 'lost its head' after the earthquake

The first part of Turtle Island (located off the coast of Yilan) collapsed after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake occurred on the morning of April 3.

The earthquake occurred at 7:58 am local time at a depth of 15.5 km off the east coast of the island of Taiwan, causing some buildings near the epicenter to collapse, according to the Taiwan Weather Administration.

Scene of the collapse of the first part of Turtle Island after the earthquake on April 3.

Notably, the 7.7 magnitude earthquake also collapsed a large rock block at Turtle Island (located off the coast of Yilan). This block of rock juts out into the sea, like the head of a turtle. Large rocks fell into the sea one after another, water splashed after the strongest earthquake in the past 25 years in Taiwan.

"At that time there were no people or boats passing by. Luckily there was no loss of life," a witness told Creaders.

Close-up of the first part of Turtle Island. (Photo: Traveloka).

Turtle Island, also known as Guishan Island (Guishan), is 10 km east of Toucheng town. This is a famous tourist destination in Yilan, Taiwan. From a distance, the island looks like a turtle basking in the ocean.

One of the types of tourism that attracts tourists here is whale watching. Accordingly, March-November is the gathering time for Pacific whales and dolphins. Visitors can visit the island at this time to witness schools of fish swimming around the island.

Turtle Island is still wild, suitable for tourists who love nature. (Photo: Traveloka).

One point to note is that guests intending to visit the island need to book at least a week in advance due to strict conservation regulations on the island. In addition, Taiwan only allows a maximum of 100 visitors per day to protect the natural environment on Turtle Island.

In addition, visitors can visit some other nearby destinations such as Ky Lan Island park (suitable for those who like to explore nature, climb mountains or camp), Dali Shinto Temple. .

Turtle Island is located quite far from the mainland, visitors can only get here by boat or ferry, departing from Wushi port. Travel time is about 40 minutes. An island tour costs from 1,200 yuan (nearly 950,000 VND).