Nurses risk their lives to shield newborn babies in a hospital during earthquake in Taiwan

Life in Taiwan came to a halt after a 7.4-magnitude powerful earthquake struck the country, leaving at least 10 dead and many injured as well as missing. The epicenter was about 11 miles southwest of Hualien City. The sight of destroyed buildings and crumbling walls in the aftermath of the awful earthquake pulls at the hearts of people in the country and around the world, but during the disaster, a heartwarming scene unfolded inside the trembling walls of Ma Cherie Maternity Centre in Taipei, Hualien City.

In a CCTV footage of the facility going viral, some nurses are seen showing an act of utter heroism by taking swift action and protecting at least 12 newborn babies in a ward. The footage displays three staff nurses rushing to the maternity unit to hold on to babies’ cribs in the harrowing moment of the earthquake, to prevent them while risking their own lives. 

A head nurse, Elaine, told CNA News that their first instinct was to make sure all the babies were safe. "Every baby is a treasure to their parents. Anyone working in health care can relate to this. Countless yet significant choices happen around the world every day...Life can be tough, but sometimes a small gesture of goodwill can make all the difference. Please cherish those around you, life is precious," she added. Elaine wishes that the babies she and her colleagues have saved would one day "spread this love to others."

Elaine's colleague Aly said there was no time to be scared as the earth tremors hit the building. "Even our night shift colleagues who were getting changed rushed in to help," she stated. A supervisor of the nursing care center, Angel Chen, explained that it has a set of guidelines for staff, according to which they need to prioritize the safety of the babies if the earthquake strikes. Chen added that the nurses also have to ensure that the infants are away from any item that may cause them harm, including broken glass.

The bravery shown by the nurses was highly applauded on social media, especially X. People described the nurses as “heroes,” “bravo,” and “motherly.”

Like these nurses, there was another woman, an Indonesian caregiver, who acted heroically in the precarious situation by rushing to give cover to an elderly Taiwanese patient during the earthquake. The patient's son shared the CCTV footage of the whole incident on TikTok. As per the English translation of his caption, when he couldn't reach the room of his mom, the caretaker protected her. 

As for the earthquake, the city is still assessing its aftermath. According to NBC News, this was the biggest earthquake Taiwan has experienced in at least 25 years. Overall, the situation is still hanging on a thread.