A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck the port city of Hualien on Wednesday morning, killing 7 people and injuring 736. It is the most important earthquake in the last 25 years.
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A powerful earthquake of magnitude greater than 7 caused at least seven deaths and hundreds of injuries in Taiwan, in addition to damage to dozens of buildings and tsunami warnings on the coast of East Asia, which were finally discarded.
Taiwanese authorities said the earthquake and its aftershocks were the most intense on this island in 25 years, and warned that more tremors could occur in the coming days.
The seven deaths occurred in Hualien county, the point closest to the earthquake's epicenter. In addition, the fire department indicated that 736 people were injured by the earthquake, without specifying the severity.
“Everything was shaking violently. The pictures on the wall, the television and the liquor cabinet fell,” a resident of the city of Hualien told local television SET TV.
In that port city, located on the eastern coast of Taiwan, two buildings collapsed due to the shaking, said firefighters, who fear that people are trapped in the ruins.
Pool water falls from the top floor of a skyscraper in Taiwan during the earthquake
A warehouse also collapsed in New Taipei City, in the north, but the mayor explained that they had managed to extract 50 people alive from the rubble.
The earthquake surprised Taiwanese in the early hours of Wednesday morning
“The strongest in 25 years”
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) noted that Wednesday's earthquake had a magnitude of 7.4 and occurred just before 8:00 a.m. local time (00:00 GMT). The Taiwanese meteorological agency estimated the magnitude at 7.2, while the Japanese meteorological agency calibrated it at 7.5.
The epicenter was located 18 kilometers south of Hualien, with a depth of 34.8 km.
“The earthquake was close to the ground and is shallow. It was felt throughout Taiwan and the islands (…). It is the strongest in 25 years,” Wu Chien-fu, director of the Taiwanese Seismological Center, told reporters.
In September 1999, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake killed about 2,400 people in Taiwan, still the deadliest natural disaster in the territory's history.
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen called for coordination between local and central agencies and announced that the army would provide support in rescue and assistance efforts.
Strict building regulations and social awareness about this type of disaster seem to have prevented a major catastrophe in Taiwan, regularly affected by earthquakes due to its location between two tectonic plates.
Social networks were flooded with images from different parts of the island with buildings swaying during the shaking. Some were left leaning dangerously once the shaking ended.
“I wanted to run away, but he wasn't dressed. That's how strong he was,” said Kelvin Hwang, a guest at a downtown hotel, who finally found refuge in the elevator lobby on the ninth floor.
Tsunami warnings
The earthquake was felt throughout Taiwan and had several aftershocks, including one of magnitude 6.5 near Hualien, according to the island's meteorological agency.
In the capital Taipei, subway traffic was suspended for almost an hour, and authorities asked residents to check for gas leaks.
Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturer TSMC, the world's largest, briefly halted production at some plants, an official told AFP.
The shock reached the other side of the Taiwan Strait, in the Fujian region of mainland China, or the semi-autonomous city of Hong Kong.
It also triggered tsunami warnings in Taiwan, the southwestern islands of Japan and several provinces in the Philippines, although they were lifted shortly afterwards.
In Japan, authorities temporarily suspended air traffic at Naha airport, on the island of Okinawa.
A Japanese government spokesman said no casualties were detected in that region, although Japan's meteorological agency detected tsunami waves of up to 30 centimeters on some of its islands.
