Deaths and damage – Strongest earthquake in 25 years shakes Taiwan – News

  • A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck the East Asian island republic of Taiwan.
  • Japan and the Philippines have lifted previously issued tsunami warnings hours after the severe earthquake.
  • In Taiwan, local media reported significant damage, four dead and injured.

According to official information, at least four people were killed and almost 60 were injured. This was confirmed by the island’s national fire department. In addition, numerous buildings suffered some immense damage. In total, as of midday (local time), the authority spoke of more than 900 accidents of various kinds.

The Taiwan Meteorological Agency reports a magnitude 7.2 quake. The epicenter was southeast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan. Eyewitnesses say that the quake was also clearly felt in the capital Taipei.

Legend:

A building in Hualien, eastern Taiwan, has partially collapsed.

Keystone/TVBS

People post pictures and videos from the affected regions on social media. Buildings shake or collapse. In Hualien on Taiwan’s east coast, buildings were sometimes badly damaged, local media reported.

Rail traffic was at least partially and temporarily stopped in several large cities on the island.

The large neighboring country China asked Taiwan for help. Chinese authorities are very concerned about the situation, said Chinese Taiwan Affairs Office spokeswoman Zhu Fenglian in Beijing. The mainland is monitoring the situation and is ready to offer disaster assistance.

Production stop at an important chip manufacturer

It remained unclear whether Taiwan would accept China’s help. There are always tensions between the two states because Beijing counts the island as part of China, even though an independent and democratically elected government has been in power in Taiwan for decades.

East Asia correspondent: “Taiwan was lucky in misfortune”


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According to official figures, four deaths and 50 injuries have been reported so far, as East Asia correspondent Samuel Emch reports:

“Many Taiwanese were on their way to work when the earth began to shake. An earthquake that was felt hundreds of kilometers away, all the way to mainland China.

The epicenter was off the east coast of Taiwan. From here there are also pictures of individual collapsed buildings, damaged streets and bridges. Injuries are mainly reported in the sparsely inhabited, mountainous hinterland. The strong earthquake triggered landslides here.

It looks like Taiwan has a lucky break. A similarly strong earthquake 25 years ago resulted in 2,400 deaths. However, the east coast of Taiwan, which is now more severely affected, is significantly less densely populated than the west coast, where most of the 23 million residents live. The earthquake was also clearly felt in the large cities on the west coast, but public transport, which had been temporarily suspended, is already running again.

Taiwan’s major semiconductor maker TSMC halted production, the Hsinchu City Industrial Park Authority said. The company reportedly evacuated workers from production during the quake. The company is currently checking the condition of the machines.

Ruins of a house

Legend:

The east coast of the island is particularly affected.

Keystone/AP TVBS

The tremors also damaged various roads in Taiwan. The state-owned energy supplier reported that more than 308,000 households in Taiwan lost power due to the quake. Tens of thousands were still without power afterwards.

Overturned apartment building that is in danger of collapsing.

Legend:

Numerous buildings in Hualien are in danger of collapsing due to the earthquake.

Keystone/AP TVBS

The last time Taiwan was hit was in September 1999 by a magnitude 7.3 quake. At that time, more than 2,400 people died. Taiwan lies in an earthquake-prone zone on the boundary of the Eurasian plate and the Philippine Sea plate.

Three meter high waves were initially feared in Japan

In Japan, northeast of Taiwan, the earthquake triggered a warning of a three-meter-high tsunami for nearby islands in southwestern Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture. Residents of the affected islands were called upon to seek safety. Japanese media also spoke of an earthquake magnitude of 7.7.

Authorities in the Philippines also issued a tsunami warning. High tsunami waves are expected that could last for hours, said the National Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs). People in several provinces of the island nation were asked to seek safety and leave the coastal regions. A few hours after the earthquake, both countries lifted the warnings.

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