Authorities have reported that Taiwan's most powerful earthquake in 25 years has resulted in at least four deaths.
The national fire agency stated that four people lost their lives in Hualien County. Hualien was the center of the earthquake that occurred around 8am on Wednesday.
Around 57 people have been injured by the 7.4 magnitude earthquake, which has caused severe damage to buildings in the area.
The earthquake's tremors also led to a small tsunami that traveled to southern Japan, reaching the Okinawa region without causing any harm or property damage at this time.
JapanThe chief cabinet secretary of Japan, Yoshimasa Hayashi, has advised residents in the Okinawa region to remain on high ground until all tsunami warnings are lifted.
He warned people to be wary of false information and encouraged them to stay calm and help others.
The Japan Meteorological Agency had predicted a tsunami of up to three meters for the southern Japanese island group of Okinawa.
Images from the scene depict a heavily damaged five-storey building in Taiwan's Hualien, with the first floor collapsed and the rest leaning at a 45-degree angle.
In Taipei, tiles fell from older buildings and within some newer office complexes.
The earthquake occurred at 7:58am with the epicenter about 11 miles south-southwest of Hualien and 22 miles deep.
Train services were halted across the island of 23 million people, as was subway service in Taipei, where a newly constructed above-ground line partially separated.
The national legislature, a converted building predating the Second World War, also suffered damage to walls and ceilings. school Schools relocated their students to sports fields, providing them with yellow safety helmets.
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Some students even shielded themselves with textbooks to protect against falling objects as aftershocks continued.
Traffic along the east coast came to a near standstill, with landslides and falling debris impacting tunnels and highways in the mountainous region.
A Taipei resident, Hsien-hsuen Keng, mentioned: 'Earthquakes are a common occurrence, and I’ve grown accustomed to them. But today was the first time I was scared to tears by an earthquake. I was awakened by the earthquake. I had never felt such intense shaking before.'
She recounted that her fifth-floor apartment shook so intensely that 'apart from earthquake drills in elementary school, this was the first time I had experienced such a situation'.
Wu Chien-fu, the head of Taiwan’s earthquake monitoring bureau, reported that effects were observed as far away as Kinmen, a Taiwanese-controlled island off the coast of China.
Chinese media confirmed that the earthquake was felt in Shanghai and several provinces along China’s southeastern coast.
Aftershocks from the earthquake led to a tsunami that reached as far as southern Japan (Picture: Getty)
People in China’s Fujian province experienced strong shaking, as reported by online outlet Jimu News.
According to one man who spoke to Jimu, the shaking woke him up and lasted for about a minute.
In the Philippines, residents along the northern coast were instructed to move to higher ground, but no significant tsunami was reported about three hours after the earthquake.
Residents in the provinces of Batanes, Cagayan, Ilocos Norte, and Isabela were advised not to return to their homes until the tsunami alert was lifted, as stated by Teresito Bacolcol from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.
At least 60 people have been injured by the earthquake (Picture: Getty)
The earthquake is believed to be the largest in Taiwan since one in 1999 that caused extensive damage.
Taiwan is located along the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’, the line of seismic faults surrounding the Pacific Ocean where most of the world’s earthquakes occur.
Taiwan’s most severe earthquake in recent years occurred in 1999, with a magnitude of 7.7, resulting in 2,400 deaths, around 100,000 injuries, and the destruction of thousands of buildings.
The earthquake has shaken eastern Taiwan and caused a small tsunami.
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