Taiwanese authorities are talking about the strongest earthquake in 25 years, which has left at least one person dead and more than 50 injured.
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. People in the metropolis also felt weaker aftershocks after the strongest first earthquake.
According to Reuters, authorities are talking about at least one victim of the tremors, which also injured at least 50 people.
Train services were interrupted on the entire island with 23 million inhabitants, some parts of it lost electricity supplies. According to the authorities, the local nuclear power plants are out of danger.
The nearest Japanese islands in the southern prefecture of Okinawa already reported the arrival of a tsunami wave approximately 30 centimeters high 15 minutes after the tremors. The authorities initially issued a warning against a wave up to three meters high, but later canceled it completely. Operations at the airport in the Okinawan administrative center of Naha have been suspended until further notice. Japan reports no casualties or significant damage. The Philippines also issued a warning against a destructive wave.
The tectonically active area is a frequent scene of devastating earthquakes. According to Taiwanese seismologists, today’s earthquake is the strongest since 1999, when a 7.6-magnitude tremor left 2,400 dead.
