In Taipei, Taiwan, a significant 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Taiwan's east on Wednesday morning, leading to tsunami warnings for the self-ruled island and parts of southern Japan and the Philippines.
The earthquake occurred just before 8:00am local time (0000 GMT), with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) locating the epicentre 18 kilometres (11 miles) south of Taiwan's Hualien City, at a depth of 34.8 km.
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 sent out a tsunami warning via text message to remind people in coastal areas to be cautious and take strict precautions against the dangers of sudden waves.
The initial earthquake was felt throughout Taiwan, with AFP reporters from the southern Pingtung county to the north in Taipei reporting strong shaking sensations.
The aftershocks, including a 6.5-magnitude earthquake near Hualien according to Taipei's weather agency, were also felt in Taipei.
In the capital, the metro briefly stopped running but appeared to have resumed within an hour, while residents received warnings from their local borough chiefs to check for any gas leaks.
“I wanted to run out but I wasn’t dressed. That was so strong,” said Kelvin Hwang, a guest at a downtown hotel who sought shelter in the lift lobby on the ninth floor.
Officials stated that the earthquake was the most intense experienced on the island in decades.
“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.
This is the highest magnitude since the earthquake in 1999, according to Wu.
A 7.6-magnitude quake struck Taiwan in September 1999, resulting in approximately 2,400 fatalities, making it the deadliest natural disaster in the island’s history.
Wu cautioned that authorities are not dismissing the possibility of “earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.5 to 7 within 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.”
– Earthquake territory –
Taiwan frequently experiences earthquakes due to its location near the junction of two tectonic plates, while nearby Japan encounters around 1,500 jolts every year.
Across the west of Taiwan, the Philippines also issued a tsunami warning and urged the evacuation of coastal areas.
Based on tsunami wave models, the seismological agency of the Philippines stated that coastal areas in the northern provinces of Batanes, Cagayan, Illocos Norte, and Isabela “are expected to experience high tsunami waves”.
In Japan, a banner on national broadcaster NHK said, “Evacuate!”
An anchor on NHK instructed, “Tsunami is coming. Please evacuate immediately. Do not stop. Do not go back.”
Live TV footage from the Okinawa region’s ports, including Naha, displayed vessels heading out to sea, possibly in efforts to protect their ships.
Flights were halted at Okinawa’s main airport as a precautionary measure, as indicated by a transport ministry official told AFP.
Most earthquakes in the area are not very strong, but the amount of damage they cause depends on how deep the center is below the Earth’s surface and where it is.
The strength of tsunamis — huge and potentially damaging series of waves that can travel at hundreds of miles (kilometres) per hour — is also influenced by many factors.
The largest earthquake ever recorded in Japan was a massive 9.0-magnitude quake in March 2011 off the northeast coast, which caused a tsunami that resulted in approximately 18,500 deaths or disappearances.
The 2011 disaster also caused three reactors at the Fukushima nuclear plant to have a meltdown, leading to Japan’s worst post-war catastrophe and the most significant nuclear incident since Chernobyl.
On New Year’s Day this year, Japan experienced a major quake when a 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck Noto Peninsula, resulting in the deaths of over 230 individuals, with many of them being killed when older buildings collapsed.
Agence France-Presse
