A 7.5 magnitude earthquake was felt this Wednesday morning (3, Tuesday night in Brasília) near Taiwan and triggered warnings of tsunami in that territory and in theislands south of Japan and in Philippinesauthorities reported.
The Japan Meteorological Agency put the earthquake’s magnitude at 7.5, although the United States Geological Survey (USGS) put it at 7.4.
“The earthquake occurred close to the earth and is shallow. It was felt throughout Taiwan and the islands […] It’s the strongest in 25 years,” Wu Chien-fu, director of the Taiwanese Seismological Center, told the press, referring to the 7.6 magnitude earthquake in September 1999 that killed 2,400 people.
Authorities in Taiwan and Japan have issued tsunami warnings for their coastal regions, predicting waves of up to three meters.
The warning in Japan was for its remote islands near Taiwan, including Miyakojima Island, according to the meteorological agency.
“Evacuate!” said a sign on Japanese national television NHK. “A tsunami is coming, please evacuate immediately”, said a presenter from that station. “Don’t stop, don’t come back.”
According to the USGS, the earthquake had its epicenter 18 km south of the Taiwanese city of Hualien, with a depth of 34.8 km.
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