Taiwan Hit by Strongest Quake in 25 Years

A massive 7.5-magnitude earthquake has hit Taiwan, sparking fears of three-metre tall tsunami waves affecting Japan’s southern islands.

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has issued a tsunami alert for the southern islands of the Far East country following the tremor, which happened shortly before 9am Japanese local time (12am GMT, 1am UK time).

Multiple videos were shared of damage to Hualien, a city on the east coast of Taiwan close to the epicentre of the quake – with buildings downed and landslides throwing up huge clumps of dirt and dust.

Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration agency said the quake could be felt across the island – measuring 7.2 at the epicentre and around four at its weakest on the furthest reaches away from the centre of the tectonic jolt.

It may be the strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years, after a deadly 7.7-magnitude quake in 1999 killed around 2,400 people. It is not immediately known whether there are any casualties in the latest quake.

However, neighbouring countries are issuing tsunami alerts and advising residents to be prepared to evacuate, or to retreat to safe zones.

A 30 cm tsunami reached Yonaguni Island at 9.18am Japan time, JMA said, while the Philippines’ weather agency has also warned residents in coastal areas to be prepared to evacuate.

In several images from Hualien, on Taiwan’s east coast, a large red glass-fronted tower block was seen to have partially collapsed, keeling over towards the ground and resting at an angle as shocked onlookers watched on.

Another building, reportedly home to a cafe, partially collapsed, crushing the ground floor. Locals were seen carrying children out of the first floor window to safety.

The Suhua highway, which runs north of Hualien, has also partially collapsed. Images showed a section of the road having fallen away, while other parts of the road were dotted with boulders.

Tremors were felt across the country, including in the capital of Taipei at the island’s northern tip, where a webcam video showed the view being juddered by the convulsions.

Some public transport services have been suspended while inspections are carried out on the railways, including in Taipei.

The AP news agency reports transport services ‘quickly returned to normal in the capital, with children going to school and the morning commute appearing to be normal’ following the tremors.

A post from the JMA’s disaster preparation account on X, formerly Twitter, has warned those in the affected areas not to leave designated safe zones until given the all clear.

A translation of the tweet read: ‘As of 09:01 on the 3rd, a tsunami warning has been issued. Tsunamis strike repeatedly. Do not leave your safe area until the warning has been lifted.’

The JMA says the Okinawa and Miyajokima and Yaeyama island groupings are at risk of tsunamis up to three metres (10feet) high.

‘Evacuate!’ said a banner on national broadcaster NHK.

‘Tsunami is coming. Please evacuate immediately,’ an anchor on NHK said. ‘Do not stop. Do not go back.’

It is not known if there are any casualties. However, the force of the quake was such that it could be felt in Shanghai, around 500 miles to the north of the epicentre, according to news agency Reuters.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake had a magnitude of 7.4, with its epicentre 18 kilometres south of Taiwan’s Hualien City at a depth of 34.8 km.

The Philippines’ seismology agency also issued a tsunami warning following a strong Taiwan quake, with Philippine coastal areas fronting the Pacific Ocean expected to experience ‘high tsunami waves’.

People in the coastal areas in several provinces were advised to immediately evacuate to higher grounds or move further inland, according to an advisory.

Taiwan is regularly hit by earthquakes because the island lies near the junction of two tectonic plates.

A 7.6-magnitude jolt hit Taiwan in September 1999, killing around 2,400 people in the deadliest natural disaster in the island’s history.

Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world’s most seismically active areas. Japan accounts for about one-fifth of the world’s earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater and it experiences around 1,500 jolts every year.

Even larger quakes usually cause little damage in Japan and Taiwan thanks to special construction techniques and strict building regulations.

Japan has also developed sophisticated procedures and technology to alert and evacuate people when needed.

But in March 11, 2011, the northeast coast was struck by a magnitude 9 earthquake, the strongest quake in Japan on record, and a massive tsunami.

Those events triggered the world’s worst nuclear crisis since Chornobyl a quarter of a century earlier, at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant.

The country was also rocked by its deadliest quake in eight years on New Year’s Day when a 7.6 magnitude temblor struck in Ishikawa prefecture, on the western coast.

More than 230 people died in the quake that left 44,000 homes fully or partially destroyed.

https://www.cf.org/news/taiwan-hit-by-strongest-quake-in-25-years/