Strong earthquake in Taiwan: Two buildings collapsed. The death toll reached seven people, and 700 people were injured. Rescue operations are underway: firefighters and volunteers are pulling people out of collapsed buildings. The 7.4 degree earthquake is the strongest earthquake produced in Taiwan in the last 25 years, experts say.
UPATE 09:56. Seven people lost their lives
The death toll from the Taiwan earthquake has reached seven, the Taiwanese government said.
UPDATE 09:40. 700 people, injured throughout Taiwan after the earthquake that hit the island on Wednesday
700 people were injured, while about 80 are still trapped after the 7.4-magnitude earthquake, according to the island’s Fire Department, according to CNN.
Authorities did not provide further details on the condition of those trapped, but said rescue operations were underway.
Initial news
Several tsunami warnings were initially issued on the island, but also in neighboring countries. The alerts that also targeted Japan (Okinawa island) and the Philippines were later withdrawn.
The underwater earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.4 degrees, occurred in the morning, around 08:00 local time. Two buildings collapsed in a city located near the epicenter of the earthquake that struck the east coast of Taiwan. It is possible that several victims are trapped under the rubble, the fire department said.
Several aftershocks were felt in Taipei, Taiwan’s capital, in the hour after the initial quake. Authorities are not ruling out the possibility of 6.5 to 7 magnitude earthquakes relatively close to land in the next three days. And the Japan Meteorological Agency warned Japanese citizens to be alert for aftershocks.
Immediately after the earthquake, several tsunami alerts were issued in Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines. The alerts were later withdrawn.
The tsunami risk was “largely passed,” the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, a regional observatory based in Hawaii, later announced.
And the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) downgraded the tsunami alert to “warning”.
Photo credit: X / Bruce Snyder
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Tags: Taiwan Earthquake degrees strongest years recorded island people died injured
