SINGAPORE, Dec 25 — Taiwan’s Hualien district court has issued death certificates for a Singaporean couple following an application made on Dec 23 by their family to local authorities.

Sim Hwee Kok and Neo Siew Choo went missing after they were last captured on surveillance cameras getting off a bus on April 3 at around 7.20am near the Shakadang Trail in Hualien’s Taroko National Park .

Shortly after, Taiwan was struck by its biggest earthquake in 25 years — a magnitude 7.2, with its epicenter 18km away from Hualien city.

The husband and wife have been officially declared dead, with death certificates issued upon request, to assist the family in handling legal affairs for the couple, reported The Straits Times.

Hualien’s fire department had embarked on search and rescue missions with sniffer dogs used to track their scent with using Sim and Neo’s clothes — with no results.

Family members attended a religious ceremony with spiritual evocation rites performed on April 14 after the search was suspended over safety concerns.

The couple’s family has since requested Hualien authorities for the search to continue to allow for loved ones to have closure, reported Taiwanese media.

A family member has taken to Facebook, appealing for any information to be forwarded to helpsingaporefamily@gmail.com

The official death toll from the April 3 earthquake triggered landslides and was followed by more than 1,100 aftershocks — was previously 18, with more than a thousand people injured