Official reports state that a severe earthquake off the coast of Taiwan has resulted in at least four fatalities and approximately 60 injuries.
The island’s national fire authority confirmed this information on Wednesday. Additionally, many buildings have incurred significant damage.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) reported that the 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck Taiwan on Wednesday, causing a minor tsunami that affected some islands in southwestern Japan.
The earthquake occurred at 7:58 am (2358 GMT Tuesday), with its epicenter located roughly 25 kilometers southeast of Hualien in eastern Taiwan, at a depth of 15.5 kilometers, according to the CWA.
Several potent aftershocks ensued, one of which was of 6.5 magnitude.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) assessed the earthquake’s magnitude at 7.4.
Local media reported severe damage to some buildings in Hualien due to the violent tremors, with photos depicting a multi-storey building collapsed.
In New Taipei City, encircling the capital in the island’s north, the collapse of a warehouse injured three people, as reported by several media outlets.
Other parts of the island also reported damage.
Eyewitnesses confirmed that the quake was distinctly felt in Taipei.
Public rail transport was suspended in several major cities on the island, home to over 23 million people, and express train services were disrupted.
Taiwan’s leading semiconductor manufacturer TSMC ceased production, as confirmed by the Hsinchu Science Park Administration, and Powerchip followed suit.
Reports indicate that TSMC was evaluating the condition of its production lines after evacuating workers during the earthquake.
At 8:22 am, the official Nuclear Safety Commission (NUSC) announced that the Maanshan nuclear power plant in southern Pingtung County was operating normally post-shock.
The Japan Meteorological Agency reported a minor tsunami reaching the nearby Japanese islands of Yonaguni, Ishigaki, and Miyako in Okinawa Prefecture and warned of a potential larger tsunami up to one meter.
The US National Weather Service had earlier cautioned that hazardous tsunami waves could occur within 300 km of the earthquake’s epicenter based on preliminary parameters.
By 0200 GMT, it declared the tsunami threat had subsided.
In September 1999, an earthquake of 7.3 magnitude struck Taiwan, located on the boundary between the Eurasian and Philippine Sea plates, resulting in over 2,400 fatalities.
