7.5 magnitude earthquake hits Taiwan, Japan issues tsunami warning for southern islands
At least one person has died and more than 50 have been injured after a powerful earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale struck off the coast of Taiwan, Reuters reports. The Japan Meteorological Agency said the earthquake struck the island nation just before 9 a.m. Japanese local time on Wednesday, news agency AFP reported. The quake prompted tsunami warnings for southern Japanese islands, with waves up to three meters or 9.8 feet high expected to hit Miyakojima island, AFP reports.
According to the Japan Times, a tsunami warning was also issued for Okinawa and officials urged people in affected areas to immediately move to higher ground.
A similar tsunami warning was also issued by Taiwan, where television stations showed footage of building foundations shaking in the eastern city of Hualien, the Associated Press reported, adding that the quake was also felt in the capital, Taipei. Went.
#Watch , An earthquake of 7.2 magnitude occurred in Taiwan’s capital, Taipei.
(Source: Reuters) pic.twitter.com/SkHBHrluaZ
– ANI (@ANI) 3 April 2024
Taiwan’s earthquake monitoring agency has reported the earthquake’s intensity as 7.2, while the US Geological Survey has reported its intensity as 7.5 on the Richter scale.
Reuters quoted an eyewitness as saying that the earthquake could be felt as far as Shanghai. People also felt the quake in Fuzhou, Xiamen, Quanzhou and Ningde in China’s Fujian province, according to Chinese state media.
According to the Taiwan Central Meteorological Administration, the epicenter of the earthquake was located off the coast of the eastern county of Hualien, in the waters off the east coast of Taiwan island.
A warning was also issued by the Philippines Seismology Agency for residents of coastal areas in several provinces, urging them to evacuate to higher ground, Reuters reported. Hours later, the warning was cancelled.
At the time of writing this report, the Taiwan government has not yet received any reports of damage and mass rapid transit in Taipei also resumed operations soon after. The Southern Taiwan Science Park, which hosts a plant for semiconductor giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, also said the companies were operating without any impact, Reuters reported.
Taiwan’s Central News Agency said the quake was the biggest to hit the island since 1999, when a 7.6-magnitude quake killed about 2,400 people.