Japan’s meteorological agency issued a tsunami warning for the islands of Okinawa, Miyakojima and Yaeyama, according to Japanese public television NHK.
The agency appealed to residents living along the coast to seek refuge in higher places “as quickly as possible”, due to the possibility of waves up to three meters high forming around 2 am in Lisbon.
The earthquake, which occurred at around 1 am in Lisbon, was also felt in Taipei, at a depth of 15.5 kilometers, according to the China Seismological Center.
“The earthquake could trigger a tsunami that will affect Taiwan. A tsunami warning is issued to remind residents of coastal areas to remain vigilant“, according to a security message sent to the cell phones of the island’s inhabitants.
The Philippine Institute of Seismology also warned of “strong tsunami waves” and called on the population to abandon the coastal areas of 23 provinces and choose “higher locations or move inland”.
The first earthquake was followed by an aftershock measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale, according to the United States Geological Survey.
Two buildings collapsed as a result of the shock.
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.
Taiwan is located on the Pacific’s so-called “Ring of Fire,” a zone of intense seismic and volcanic activity that stretches from Japan to the Pacific across South Asia.
Tags: Japan issues tsunami warning magnitude earthquake Taiwan
