At least seven people were killed and nearly 730 injured after a powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.5 struck Taiwan, and damaged dozens of buildings on Wednesday.
Officials said the quake was the strongest to shake the island in almost 25 years and have wanted of more tremors in the coming days.
The Japanese Meteorological Agency forecast a tsunami of up to 3 metres (9.8 feet) after the quake hit at 7:58 am (local time). Later, the agency said that the first wave of the tsunami is believed to have already arrived on the coasts of Miyako and Yaeyama islands.
#WATCH | An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 hit Taipei, the capital of Taiwan.
Visuals from Beibin Street, Hualien City, Hualien County, eastern Taiwan.
(Source: Focus Taiwan) pic.twitter.com/G8CaqLIgXf
— ANI (@ANI) April 3, 2024
Wu Chien-fu, director of Taipei’s Central Weather Administration’s Seismology Center said, ‘The earthquake is close to land and it’s shallow. It’s felt all over Taiwan and offshore islands’.
Following this, strict building regulations and disaster awareness appear to have staved off a major catastrophe for the island, which is regularly hit by earthquakes as it lies near the junction of two tectonic plates.
#WATCH | A very shallow earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.5 struck in the ocean near Taiwan. Japan has issued an evacuation advisory for the coastal areas of the southern prefecture of Okinawa after the earthquake triggered a tsunami warning. Tsunami waves of up to 3… pic.twitter.com/2Q1gd0lBaD
— ANI (@ANI) April 3, 2024
This prompted tsunami warnings that extended to Japan and the Philippines before being lifted. Wu said the quake was the strongest since a 7.6-magnitude struck in September 1999, killing around 2,400 people in the deadliest natural disaster in the island’s history.
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