Taiwan earthquake: The moment a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck Taiwan
Rescue teams are racing against time to help residents get out of a collapsed building in Hualien City, Taiwan, after a severe 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck the island.
Reuters quoted a fire department official at the scene as saying that the building, which was left tilted after the collapse, was highly unstable during the rescue operation, and the official indicated that teams needed to ensure its safety before pulling people out.
The Taiwanese government said that seven people were killed in the sparsely populated, mountainous province of Hualien in the east of the country, near the epicenter of the earthquake, and 711 people were injured.
Rescue efforts are still underway in Taiwan after the earthquake struck an area off its eastern coast on Wednesday.
The earthquake caused the collapse of several buildings in Hualien, the city closest to the epicenter.
Residents also felt the strong force of the earthquake, even the inland mountainous areas of Taiwan, which were also rocked by huge landslides. The island has not been exposed to an earthquake like this in 25 years.
image source, TVBS
What do the pictures and competent bodies say?
Pictures in the capital, Taipei, showed buildings shaking violently.
Wu Xinfu, director of the Taipei Seismic Center, said: “The earthquake is close to the ground and is superficial. It was felt throughout Taiwan and the offshore islands. It is the strongest in 25 years.”
The national fire agency said three people died in a trail around Taroko National Park, named after a prominent gorge outside Hualien.
The agency added that more than 50 people were injured, some of whom are still trapped in buildings and tunnels in the city.
TSMC, the giant Taiwanese chip manufacturing company, said it had evacuated some of its factories in Hsinchu and southern Taiwan to preserve the safety of its employees, but added that its safety systems were operating normally. The company is the main producer of semiconductors for technology companies, including Apple and Nvidia.
Apple’s supplier, Foxconn, did not immediately respond to a BBC request for comment.
People had previously feared that the earthquake would cause a tsunami on the island and its neighboring countries.
Pictures published by local media in Taipei revealed collapsed residential buildings and people evacuating their homes and schools.
image source, Reuters
The earthquake led to collapses in mountainous areas
When did the earthquake start and what were its effects?
The impact of the earthquake also led to the destruction of vehicles and the scattering of objects inside stores, in a state of chaos, according to clips broadcast by the local channel TVBS.
A number of residents reported power outages and internet outages across the island, according to internet monitoring group NetBlocks.
The earthquake began on Wednesday at 07:58 a.m. local time, at a depth of 15.5 kilometers, and led to at least nine aftershocks with a magnitude of 4 or more.
The epicenter of the quake was located about 18 kilometers south of Hualien City, according to the US Geological Survey.
Hualien is located on the eastern coast of Taiwan, in a sprawling mountainous area. Cities in the region are characterized by low population density.
It is likely that, with the main roads and railway lines linking Hualien City to the rest of Taiwan blocked, rescue teams will have to enter the area by air.
image source, Reuters
Warnings in neighboring countries
Taiwan was hit by a 7.6-magnitude earthquake in September 1999, killing 2,400 people and destroying 5,000 buildings.
Authorities in neighboring Japan warned earlier that tsunami waves up to three meters high were expected to reach large areas of the southwestern coast of Japan.
The Japan Meteorological Agency later lowered the warning level, but asked residents to remain “vigilant for aftershocks of similar intensity” for about a week.
The Philippine Seismological Agency also issued a tsunami warning shortly after the quake, urging residents to evacuate to higher ground, but later canceled the warning.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in an update about two hours after the quake that the tsunami threat “has now passed.”
Official Chinese media said that residents of parts of Fujian Province, southeastern China, felt the tremors.
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