The Japanese authorities after a few hours fromwere canceling warnings about a tsunami wave, for the arrival of which the coast of small islands in the south of the country was preparing. The Philippines also issued a warning against a destructive wave.
According to the US Geological Survey, the tremors were a magnitude of 7.4, while Japanese seismologists put the value at 7.7 and Taiwanese at 7.2. The epicenter was located 18 kilometers southeast of the port of Hualien in eastern Taiwan. The epicenter of the earthquake, which struck shortly before eight in the morning local time (before 02:00 CEST), was located at a depth of 35 kilometers, the AP agency reported.
Rescuers use ladders to help get people trapped in damaged buildings out. Hmeanwhile, they are evacuating people stuck in tunnels near the city of Chua-lien; there are also two German citizens among them. Taiwanese authorities said they had lost contact with 50 passengers traveling in two minibuses to a hotel in Taroko Gorge National Park. The authorities did not provide any details, Reuters wrote.
Taiwan’s Air Force announced that at its main base, the tremors slightly damaged six F-16 fighter jets; however, the aircraft are expected to return to active service soon.
Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs he has no news about the affected Czechs. There are 88 Czech citizens registered in Taiwan in the Drozd travel system. According to Wernerová, there are no Czechs affected in Japan either.
In all of Taiwan, which has a population of 23 million, train services were temporarily interrupted and some regions lost electricity supplies; it has already been restored in most areas. According to the authorities, the local nuclear power plants are out of danger.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Co, which is a major supplier of chips to Apple and Nvidia, said that because of the earthquake evacuated some manufacturing plants to ensure the safety of employees.
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. Operations at the airport in the Okinawan administrative center of Naha have been suspended until further notice. Japan reports no casualties or significant damage. 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.
Earthquakes are quite common in Taiwan. Earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.6 claimed more than 2,400 lives in 1999. In February 2018, an earthquake on the east coast of Taiwan killed 15 people and injured at least 280 people, including two citizens of the Czech Republic.
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.
Tags: Earthquake Taiwan dead dozens injured
