Wednesday, April 3, brought another ordeal to the island nation’s 23 million inhabitants. Shortly before eight in the morning local time (before 02:00 CEST), practically all of Taiwan was affected by a strong earthquake with an epicenter 18 kilometers southeast of the port of Hua-lien. The last similarly strong earthquakes in 1999 claimed over 2,400 lives, and in February 2018, 15 people died in an earthquake on the east coast of Taiwan and at least 280 people, including two citizens of the Czech Republic, were injured.
The current tremors have killed at least seven people, injured hundreds and trapped dozens more in rubble and collapsed tunnels. Here’s how the 7.4-magnitude earthquake affected Taiwan’s highway:
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The source of the 7.4-magnitude quake was located at a depth of 35 kilometers below the surface. An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0-7.9 is the second strongest on the scale measuring the intensity of tremors, and damage is practically inevitable. At the same time, every increase of one full degree means 32 times more energy.
Train services were disrupted across Taiwan and some regions lost electricity. According to the authorities, the local nuclear power plants are out of danger. Numerous landslides were reported on the road connecting Chua-lien to the north of the island, high-rise buildings were swayed:
Japan was hit by a miniature tsunami
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 of waves up to three meters high, but later canceled the warning.
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However, operations at the airport in the Okinawan administrative center of Naha have been suspended until further notice. Japan reports no casualties or significant damage. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida expressed his participation on X Taiwan’s social network, saying his country is ready to provide all assistance to the island.
Source: ČTK, CNN, The Guardian
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