The moment the 7.4 earthquake hits Taiwan. Collapsed buildings, landslides and people trapped under the rubble

Earthquake in Taiwan. At least 7 people have died and more than 711 others have been injured after an earthquake hit the east coast of the island. With a magnitude of 7.4, it was the strongest earthquake to hit the island in the last 25 years. Buildings in the capital Taipei and surrounding areas were violently shaken and there are fears that dozens of people are trapped under the rubble in Hualien, near the epicenter. Tsunami warnings issued for nearby Japanese islands and the northern coast of the Philippines have been lifted. Japan and China offered assistance and President Tsai Ing-wen announced that she was sending the military into rescue operations.

By the Observator editorial team on 04.03.2024, 11:11

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Taiwan, the strongest earthquake to hit the Asian island in the last 25 years. At least 7 people lost their lives and over 700 others were injured, according to local authorities. A tsunami alert issued for southern Japan and the Philippines was later lifted. Over 100 replicas have been recorded so far. The earthquake occurred in the east of the island, at a depth of 15.5 kilometers.

A surveillance camera captured the moment when the earthquake shook the financial district of the capital Taipei. Other cameras filmed a landslide in the mountainous region of Hualien and customers fleeing a restaurant in terror. Footage also emerged of the moment the earthquake shook a pet store in New Taipei City. A five-story building in Hualien was heavily damaged, with the first floor collapsing and the rest leaning at a 45-degree angle, according to the AP.

The witnesses also filmed the moment when the water of a swimming pool on the roof of a skyscraper overflows due to the movement of the earth.

Taiwan was hit by the strongest earthquake in the last 25 years

At least 26 buildings have collapsed, more than half of them in Hualien, and about 20 people are trapped under the rubble. Rescue operations are in full swing. Television stations in Taiwan showed images of buildings on the verge of collapse in Hualien, the city hit by the offshore earthquake at 08:00 local time, as residents headed to school or work.

The earthquake occurred at a depth of 15.5 kilometers, according to the Central Meteorological Administration of Taiwan. ”It was very strong. It felt like the house was going to collapse,” said Chang Yu-Lin, 60, a hospital worker in Taipei. According to the Japanese weather agency, several small tsunamis have reached areas of Okinawa prefecture (south). The agency later reduced the tsunami warning to a warning. The Japanese agency estimated the magnitude of the earthquake at 7.7.

The Philippine Seismological Agency also issued a warning to residents of coastal areas in several provinces, recommending they move to higher ground. Taiwan also issued a tsunami warning but reported no damage, and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center later said the risk of a dangerous tsunami had passed.

There were more than 25 aftershocks in Taipei, according to the central administration of Taiwan. Chinese state media said the quake was felt in China’s Fujian province, and a Reuters witness said it was also felt in Shanghai. The Taipei City government said it had received no reports of major damage, and subway service was restored shortly after the quake.

Electricity operator Taipower said more than 87,000 homes in Taiwan were still without power, adding that the country’s two nuclear power plants were unaffected by the quake. Taiwan’s high-speed rail operator said there were no reports of damage or injuries to its trains, but it said trains could be delayed during inspections.

Semiconductor giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co said it has evacuated several production plants and its safety systems are operating normally. “To ensure the safety of the staff, several units were evacuated, according to the company’s procedure. We are currently confirming the details of the impact”, according to the company.

He later added that the evacuated employees have started to return to their jobs. Taiwan’s official news agency said the earthquake was the island’s biggest since 1999, when a 7.6-magnitude earthquake killed 2,400 people, destroyed and damaged 50,000 buildings in one of the more serious earthquakes in this country.

According to Taiwan’s Central Meteorological Administration, Wednesday’s earthquake registered the second-highest intensity for “an earthquake of more than 6″ in Hualien County, on a scale of 1 to 7. In the case of an earthquake of ” above 6”, most unreinforced concrete walls collapse, and people are unable to stay upright or move without crawling, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.