A powerful earthquake has struck eastern Taiwan, triggering tsunami warnings for the self-governing island as well as parts of southern Japan and the Philippines.
According to local media reports, people were injured and houses were badly damaged in a severe earthquake off the east coast of Taiwan. In New Taipei to the north, a warehouse collapsed, injuring three people, several media outlets reported.
The earth had previously trembled in the East Asian island republic of Taiwan with magnitudes above 7.0. Taiwan’s meteorological agency recorded a magnitude 7.2 quake southeast of the coast near Hualien at a depth of 15.5 kilometers. The United States Earthquake Observatory (USGS) reported a magnitude of 7.4 in the area. The epicenter was therefore 18 kilometers south of the city of Hualien. The director of the Seismological Center in Taipei, Wu Chien-fu, spoke of the “strongest (earthquake) in 25 years.”
Damage was also reported from other parts of the country. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and Premier Chen Chien-jen were expected at the central emergency control center in New Taipei, which surrounds the capital Taipei, this morning. Taiwan’s major semiconductor maker TSMC halted production, the Hsinchu City Industrial Park Authority said. The company reportedly evacuated workers from production during the quake. The company is currently checking the condition of the machines.
Tsunami warnings for Taiwan, Japan and Philippines
The quake triggered tsunami warnings for the island as well as parts of southern Japan and the Philippines. The Japan Meteorological Agency reported the magnitude of the earthquake as 7.5. According to them, tsunami waves with heights of three meters were expected for the Japanese islands in the region, including Miyakojima Island. The Japanese broadcaster NHK called on people to evacuate. Operations at Naha Airport in the southern Okinawa region were suspended as a precautionary measure.
The Philippines warned of “high tsunami waves” and called for evacuation of coastal areas. According to the state seismological institute, coastal areas in 23 provinces were affected, but not the capital Manila.
Repeated earthquakes in Taiwan
Taiwan is regularly shaken by earthquakes because tectonic plates collide in the region. In 1999, the deadliest earthquake in Taiwan’s history occurred. Around 2,400 people died as a result of the tremors with a magnitude of 7.6. There are about 1,500 tremors every year in Japan.
The country’s most severe earthquake to date was recorded in March 2011 with a magnitude of 9.0 off the country’s northeast coast. It triggered a tsunami that left around 18,500 people dead or missing. The natural disaster also resulted in the failure of the cooling system in the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, and a core meltdown occurred in three of the six reactors.
China offers support to Taiwan
China offered help to Taiwan. Authorities in China are very concerned about the situation, said Chinese Taiwan Affairs Office spokeswoman Zhu Fenglian. The mainland is monitoring the situation and is ready to offer disaster assistance.
It initially remained unclear whether Taiwan would accept China’s help. There are always tensions between the two states because Beijing counts the island as part of China, even though an independent and democratically elected government has been in power in Taiwan for decades.