A devastating earthquake hit Taiwan, and a tsunami is approaching the Japanese islands

According to Japanese authorities, a three-meter tsunami wave is approaching the coast of small islands in the south of the country. Local residents were told to evacuate immediately. The Philippines also issued a warning against a destructive wave.

According to the US Geological Survey, the quake had a magnitude of 7.4, while Japanese seismologists put it at 7.7 and Taiwan’s at 7.2. The epicenter of the tremors was located 18 kilometers southeast of the port of Chua-lien in the east of the island. The epicenter of the earthquake, which struck shortly before eight in the morning (before 2:00 a.m. CEST), was located at a depth of 35 kilometers, the AP agency reported.

TV footage shows some buildings in the city of Chualien partially disintegrating or collapsing, according to the agencies. According to local media, people remained trapped in them. In the metropolis of the island of Taipei, parts of some older houses and newer office buildings were falling off, AP writes.

Train services were interrupted on the entire island with 23 million inhabitants, some parts of it lost electricity supplies.

The nearest Japanese islands in the southern prefecture of Okinawa already reported the arrival of the first wave of a tsunami approximately 30 centimeters high 15 minutes after the tremors. Authorities have suspended operations at the airport in the Okinawan administrative center of Naha until further notice.

The tectonically active area is a frequent scene of devastating earthquakes. According to Taiwanese seismologists, the earthquake is the strongest since 1999, when a 7.6-magnitude tremor left 2,400 dead.

Japan was hit by its last major earthquake earlier this year. The 7.6-magnitude event killed over 200 people and caused a meter-long tsunami and landslides.