Video. 7.7 earthquake in Taiwan, several people are trapped under the rubble. The number of victims increases: 7 dead and 711 injured. Update

A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 occurred on Wednesday morning, April 3, in eastern Taiwan, being the strongest earthquake in the last 25 years produced on the island. At the same time, a tsunami alert was issued in Japan and another in the Philippines.

7.7 magnitude earthquake in Taiwan. Tsunami alerts have been issued

The earthquake occurred at 07:58 am local time (2:58 am, Romanian time), at a depth of 15.5 km, according to the local Meteorological Administration. The epicenter was located about 18 kilometers (11 miles) south of the city of Hualien.

The earthquake was also felt in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, say representatives of the Meteorological Administration. Initially, experts reported that it had a magnitude of 7.5, but it was later revised to 7.7.

Several people are trapped under the rubble, and four of them have lost their lives. The death toll is likely to rise as emergency forces manage to pull victims out from under the buildings as the operation continues.

Nine other people were also injured on a highway. The earthquake was followed by a series of aftershocks, the last two having magnitudes of 5.7 and 5.2. Dozens of buildings collapsed in the city of Hualien on the east coast of Taiwan, according to images presented by The Guardian.

The earthquake, felt in Japan, the Philippines and China

Moreover, almost 10,000 homes were affected, being left without electricity. The earthquake was also strongly felt in Japan, the Philippines and China. Japanese and Philippine authorities have issued tsunami warnings.

Residents in the coastal areas of Japan’s southern Okinawa prefecture have been evacuated. Flights to Naha Airport on the island of Okinawa were diverted, according to CNN, citing an airline representative.

“All employees and staff were evacuated to the third floor awaiting the impact of the tsunami”the airport spokesman, Hideaki Tsurudo, told CNN, according to News.ro.

At the same time, the Seismological Agency of the Philippines sent a tsunami alert for the coastal areas of the Pacific Ocean. People were advised to evacuate. Authorities said “strong tsunami waves” were expected.