– / AFP
A 7.4 magnitude earthquake was recorded this Wednesday on the island, where several buildings collapsed.
A magnitude 7.4 underwater earthquake occurred Wednesday April 3 near Taiwan, the most powerful to hit the island in 25 years, temporarily triggering tsunami warnings in Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines. The tremor, at a shallow depth, struck very close to the east coast of the island just before 8:00 a.m. local time (9:00 a.m. Japanese time, 00:00 GMT). Several aftershocks followed one another in the same area. The tremors were felt in the capital, Taipei. Firefighters reported an initial provisional report of one dead and around fifty injured.
The strongest earthquake in 25 years
“The earthquake is close to the coast and shallow. It is felt throughout Taiwan and neighboring islands… It is the strongest in 25 years, since the 1999 earthquake., Director of the Taipei Seismological Center Wu Chien-fu told reporters. A 7.6 magnitude earthquake killed 2,400 people in September 1999, the worst disaster in Taiwan’s modern history.
“It was definitely the biggest I’ve felt in my life and it lasted maybe 30 seconds, although it felt like it lasted a lot longer”said Phil Smith, a Briton living in Taipei. “I heard a few emergency vehicle sirens but there’s definitely no panic.”, he continued. According to firefighters, two buildings collapsed in Hualien, a town near the epicenter. “Two buildings have collapsed and people could be trapped. We have no further information at this time.”, said a rescue official. Images on social networks testified to the violence of the earthquake.
According to Bloomberg, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, the world’s largest manufacturer of advanced chips, quickly evacuated its production sites.
Evacuation order in the Philippines
A tsunami warning, later downgraded to “warning”, was also issued by Japan for the islands located in the southwest of the country, where the tremor was also recorded. Waves one meter high are feared in the islands of Okinawa (southwest). “Evacuate to higher areas, do not turn around”, recommended a presenter from the Japanese public channel NHK. The airport in Naha, Okinawa’s main city, quickly announced that it was suspending flights. No casualties or major damage were immediately reported in Japan.
The Philippines also warned against “high tsunami waves” and called for the evacuation of several coastal areas. “Residents in coastal areas of the following provinces are strongly advised to immediately evacuate to higher ground or move further inland”, said the National Institute of Seismology in a notice concerning 23 provinces. The coastal areas of these provinces from the north to the south of the archipelago, but which do not include the capital Manila, “expected to experience strong tsunami waves” based on prediction models, the statement added.
“Owners of boats in ports, estuaries or shallow coastal waters of the named provinces should secure their boats and move away from the waterfront”. “Boats already at sea during this period must remain offshore, in deep waters, until further notice”added the institute.