A 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck Taiwan – today, Wednesday – the strongest earthquake to hit the island in at least 25 years, killing 7 people and injuring hundreds.

The earthquake also caused warnings of a possible tsunami for southern Japan and the Philippines , but the warnings were later lifted.

The Taiwan Fire Department reported that 4 people were killed as a result of falling rocks, and about 700 people were injured, while at least 26 buildings were recorded collapsing, most of them in Hualien County, and there are approximately 20 people under the rubble.

The Taiwan authorities did not provide clarification about the severity of the injuries.

Taiwanese television stations showed footage of buildings leaning heavily in Hualien County, where the quake struck in the early morning as people were on their way to work and school.

The Central Weather Administration in Taiwan explained that the earthquake occurred at a depth of about 15.5 kilometers off the eastern coast of the island.

Potential tsunami

The Japan Meteorological Agency announced that small tsunami waves had reached parts of southern Okinawa Prefecture, but the previous tsunami warning was later downgraded to an advisory. The earthquake’s magnitude was revised to 7.7.

For its part, the Philippine Seismological Agency issued a warning to residents in coastal areas in several provinces, urging them to evacuate and head to higher areas.

Taiwan also issued a tsunami warning, but no resulting damage has been reported so far.

Later, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii announced that the threat of devastating tsunamis has now largely passed.

Aftershocks

It appears that aftershocks are still continuing in the capital, Taipei , as the Taiwan Central Meteorological Administration has so far recorded at least approximately 25 tremors.

According to Chinese official media reports, the earthquake was felt in several areas in China’s Fujian Province, including Fuzhou, Xiamen, Quanzhou and Ningde. Reports also say that residents as far away as Shanghai also felt the tremors.

The Chinese Earthquake Networks Center recorded five aftershocks of approximately 5 magnitude in Taiwan within an hour after the initial earthquake.

So far, the Taipei City government has not received any reports of new damage, and the Taipower electricity company has been able to restore power to many affected areas, but more than 87,000 families in Taiwan are still suffering from power outages.

Taipower said that the two nuclear power plants in Taiwan were not affected by the earthquake, and there were no reports of damage or injuries to trains of the Taiwan High-Speed ​​Railway Operating Company, but it indicated that the trains will be delayed for the time being due to inspection procedures.

The official Taiwan Central News Agency reported that this earthquake is the strongest to hit the island since 1999, as the last earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 killed about 2,400 people, and completely or partially destroyed about 50,000 buildings, making it one of the worst earthquakes recorded in Taiwan.

The Japanese Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) reported that the intensity of the earthquake reached the sixth highest level in Hualien City, Taiwan, according to the Japanese intensity scale, which ranges from 1 to 7.