Four people were killed and 97 others sustained injuries after a 7.3-magnitude earthquake rocked Hualien in Taiwan on Wednesday morning, local media reported. A red alert for tsunami has been issued after the earthquake.
Harrowing images from the site show traffic being brought to a standstill following the violent tremors. Several buildings were also severely damaged due to the earthquake. According to local media reports, strong tremors felt in various parts also prompted Taipei’s metro system to halt operations.
The earthquake was epicentred at 23.81 degrees north latitude and 121.74 degrees east longitude, at a depth of 12 km as per reports.
Taiwan's meteorological agency reported that a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck at 7:58 a.m. Wednesday, with a depth of 15.5 km. The epicentre was located 25 km south-southeast of the Hualien county government. The maximum intensity recorded was 6 magnitude in Hualien County, Xinhua news agency reported.
Tsunami warnings in Japan:
Japan has issued an evacuation advisory for coastal areas of Okinawa following a potent earthquake that also affected Taiwan, bringing with it the threat of tsunamis reaching up to three meters in height.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) sounded alarms after detecting the Earthquake as it was shallow enough to significantly impact the ocean's surface and potentially trigger devastating tsunami waves. The first of these waves, measuring 30 cm, made landfall on Yonaguni Island at 9:18 AM.
The quake was followed by aftershocks, with CENC reporting two quakes measuring 6.0 and 5.9 magnitudes respectively within around 40 minutes, with epicenters monitored in nearby areas.