Taiwan earthquake: On Wednesday morning, a massive 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck eastern Taiwan, resulting in hundreds of injuries and seven deaths. The earthquake also prompted tsunami warnings in southern Japan and parts of the Philippines.
According to fire department officials quoted by “Taiwan Plus News“, the person who died (in the first few hours) was buried under a landslide.
The earthquake occurred just before 8:00 a.m. local time and was recorded by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
A seismology official in Taipei described the earthquake as “the most powerful in 25 years” in Taiwan.
News agency Reuters reported that 20 people were trapped in 26 collapsed buildings, more than half of which were in Hualien city. Rescue work is going on in the affected areas.
WATCH: Strong earthquake causes landslide in eastern Taiwan pic.twitter.com/SQZFyd7zgj
— BNO News (@BNONews) April 3, 2024
Tsunami warnings resulted in four deaths and at least sixty injuries in Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines. Social media users posted dramatic pictures of buildings and bridges shaking, with people running for shelter.
Local Taiwanese TV stations showed bulldozers removing rocks from roads leading to Hualien, a coastal city surrounded by mountains with a population of about 100,000, which was cut off by landslides.
Taiwan Earthquake Latest: At least four people are dead and 711 injured after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck near Taiwan’s east coast, while 77 people remain trapped in collapsed buildings or tunnels. @tiffvevo reports. pic.twitter.com/ZyhMWMvry8
— TaiwanPlus News (@taiwanplusnews) April 3, 2024
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen announced that the national army would assist and urged coordination between regional and national government agencies.
Authorities in Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines had earlier issued tsunami warnings, but the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center announced that the threat had “largely passed” by about 10 a.m. (0200 GMT).
Because Taiwan is located close to the meeting point of two tectonic plates, earthquakes occur frequently. Japan, in the north, receives about 1,500 shockwaves annually.
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