At least nine people died this Wednesday and more than 800 were injured in Taiwan, according to a new assessment, made by the Government, of the earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale that shook the island’s coast. It is assumed that there are still several dozen people trapped in the rubble of the collapsed buildings, with authorities mounting a rescue operation. According to Reuters, there are more than 70 people trapped, especially in tunnels.
The earthquake occurred at 9 am (1 am in Lisbon), with the epicenter located near Hualien, at a depth of 15.5 kilometers, according to the China Seismological Center. All warnings have now been removed tsunami issued in Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
The first tremor was followed by an aftershock measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale, according to the United States Geological Survey. The earthquake caused considerable material damage, especially in Hualien, a city with around 100,000 inhabitants, where at least two residential buildings partially collapsed, leaving people trapped inside.
Taiwan National Fire Fighting Agency
Taiwanese authorities said that 308,242 homes were left without electricity, although the supply has already been restored to around 70% of homes. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wanan declared the disaster response center level two in Taiwan’s capital and asked citizens to be careful and watch out for possible new aftershocks.
Taiwan’s Nuclear Safety Commission said the island’s nuclear facilities were not damaged. The earthquake was “the strongest in 25 years” on the island, said the director of the Taiwan Seismological Center, Wu Chien-fu. In September 1999, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake killed 2,400 people in Taiwan.
In Japan, authorities had asked almost 500,000 people on the islands of Okinawa, Miyakojima and Yaeyama, in the south of the country, to abandon their homes and seek refuge in higher ground.
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The alert tsunami It also led to the suspension of all flights to and from Naha Airport, on the main island of Okinawa, while passengers at the airport were taken to the upper floors due to the proximity to the coast.
Taiwan is located on the so-called Pacific “Ring of Fire”, a zone of intense seismic and volcanic activity that stretches from Japan to the Pacific, through South Asia.
Text updated at 11:03 am: updated number of deaths and injuries
