News Brief
Powerful 7.4 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Taiwan, Strongest In Over Two Decades: Here's All About It
Pic Via Twitter
A 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit the east coast of Taiwan on Wednesday morning, leading to tsunami warnings for Taiwan, southern Japan, and the Philippines.
The earthquake, which hit the island nation just before 8:00 am local time, had its epicenter 18 kilometers south of Hualien City, at a depth of 34.8 kilometers, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
Japan's Meteorological Agency issued a warning for tsunami waves as high as three metres (10 feet) for remote Japanese islands in the region, including Miyakojima island.
In Taiwan, authorities issued a tsunami warning via text message "to remind people in coastal areas to be vigilant and take strict precautions and pay attention to the dangers caused by sudden surges in waves".
The quake was felt throughout Taiwan, from Pingtung county in the south to Taipei in the north, with subsequent aftershocks, including a 6.5-magnitude quake near Hualien.
Videos showed buildings in the eastern city of Hualien shaken off their foundations.
Taiwan's fire department said one person is suspected to have been crushed to death by falling rocks in the mountainous, sparsely populated eastern county of Hualien where the epicentre was, with more than 50 injured.
In Taipei, the metro system temporarily halted but resumed within an hour, and residents were advised to check for gas leaks.
"The earthquake is close to land and it's shallow. It's felt all over Taiwan and offshore islands," said Wu Chien-fu, director of Taipei's Central Weather Administration's Seismology Center.
"It's the strongest in 25 years since the (1999) earthquake," he told reporters.
A 7.6-magnitude quake hit Taiwan in September 1999, killing around 2,400 people in the deadliest natural disaster in the island's history.
Wu warned that authorities are not ruling out that "there will be earthquakes with magnitude of 6.5 to 7 in three days which will be relatively close to the land".
"The public should pay attention to relevant warnings and messages and be prepared for earthquake evacuation."
Taiwan, located near the convergence of two tectonic plates, frequently experiences earthquakes, as does Japan, which records about 1,500 earthquakes annually.
Following the quake, the Philippines also issued a tsunami warning and evacuation advisory for certain northern coastal areas, anticipating high tsunami waves.
In Japan, immediate evacuation orders were broadcasted, with actions taken to secure vessels and suspend flights in Okinawa as precautionary measures.
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