Powerful earthquake strikes eastern Taiwan, tsunami warning lifted


The power of the earthquake was assessed at 7.2 and then downgraded to 6.9. It would have been of a magnitude of 6.8 according to the Taiwan meteorological office.

A powerful earthquake struck off the southeast coast of Taiwan on Sunday (September 18th) resulting in a tsunami warning for the region which was eventually lifted. The epicenter of the earthquake, which occurred shortly after 2:44 p.m. local time (6:44 a.m. GMT), was located about 50 km north of the city of Taitung, at a depth of ten km, the USGC said.

The earthquake’s power was rated at 7.2 by the USGS, which later downgraded it to 6.9. It would have been of a magnitude of 6.8 according to the Taiwan meteorological office. The Japan Meteorological Agency and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning shortly after the quake. They released a statement a few hours later saying there was no longer a threat of high waves.

Collapsed buildings, derailment of a train…

In the town of Yluli, a building in which there was a convenience store on the ground floor collapsed. Videos from Taiwan’s Central News Agency show panicked residents rushing out of the collapsing building in a thick cloud of dust. Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) reported a train derailment at Hualien Station after a concrete block fell off during the earthquake.

Photos published by the Taiwanese agency show six train carriages leaning in the station. TRA, which specified that twenty passengers were on board, did not report any injuries. The quake was also felt in the capital Taipei and the southwest city of Kaohsiung.

On social networks, residents have posted videos of ceiling lights and oscillating tables. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen urged people to be vigilant for the risk of aftershocks. “Water and electricity supply in some areas is also affected by the earthquake“, she wrote on Facebook, stressing that the relief is hard at work.

In one video, a man recounts being stuck on a bridge where the road at either end has collapsed into a pile of tar and concrete. In a Facebook post, you can see images of the swimming pool, strewn with waves, located on the 60th floor of The One, a skyscraper in Kaohsiung, the fourth tallest building in Taiwan. “It’s shaking super hard, I’m on the 60th floor, it’s so scarylaughs a man in the video.

Regular earthquakes

The day before, a 6.6 magnitude earthquake had hit the same area and several tremors followed. That of Sunday is however the strongest. The China Seismic Network Center said tremors were felt in coastal regions, including Fujian, Guangdong, Jiangsu and Shanghai.

Taiwan and its surroundings are regularly hit by earthquakes due to their location near the junction between two tectonic plates. The island is in a region of intense seismic activity due to its position on the Pacific Ring of Fire. Most earthquakes cause only minimal damage. Most people in Taiwan live on the west coast and in Taipei.

The picturesque eastern coast is more remote and less populated, but it attracts many tourists, currently scarce due to the mandatory quarantine for travelers. The deadliest earthquake ever recorded in Taiwan, with a magnitude of 7.6, occurred in September 1999 and killed more than 2,400 people.



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