A strong earthquake of magnitude 7.2 – which may have reached 7.4 according to US monitoring bodies – struck this Wednesday (3) the region of Taipei, capital of Taiwan, killing at least nine people and injuring hundreds. . The tremor, which was felt in other parts of Asia, such as Japan and China, triggered a tsunami warning, which was later withdrawn. According to news agencies and local media, this was the biggest earthquake to hit the country in 25 years.
According to Taiwan’s earthquake monitoring agency, the tremor occurred at 8 am (local time) at a depth of approximately 35 kilometers and had its epicenter around 18 kilometers south of Hualien County.
Several aftershocks followed, with smaller magnitudes. The agency AP reported that the scale of seismic activity in Hualien has been significant, with more than a hundred separate earthquakes in and around the city today, some exceeding 5.0 magnitude.
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Authorities also said they expected a relatively mild earthquake of magnitude 4 and therefore did not send warnings.
According to Reuters An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.5 struck southwestern Japan, according to information from public broadcaster NHK. A tsunami warning was also issued for coastal areas near Okinawa Prefecture, in the south of the country.
In Taipei, roof tiles fell from older buildings as the earthquake shook the city, and schools evacuated their students to sports fields, outfitting them with yellow safety helmets.
A five-story building in Hualien, near the epicenter, was tilted at a 45-degree angle, with its first floor collapsing. The local newspaper United Daily News reported that three hikers died in rockslides in Taroko National Park and a van driver died in the same area after rocks hit the vehicle.
