An earthquake of greater than 7 magnitude occurred Wednesday near Taiwan, the most powerful to hit the island in 25 years, triggering tsunami warnings in the region before the risk was finally averted.
Seven dead and more than 700 injured
Nine people died and nearly 821 were injured, according to authorities. All the deaths occurred in the Hualien region, near the epicenter of the earthquake in the east of the island, the national fire agency said. Three of the victims died on a hiking trail, and the fourth in a road tunnel. The Taipei emergency operations center confirmed this toll and reported nearly sixty injured.
The magnitude of the underwater earthquake was estimated at 7.5 by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), 7.4 by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and 7.2 by the meteorological agency Taiwanese (CWA). It occurred shortly before 00:00 GMT, according to these agencies, and was followed by several aftershocks. Its epicenter was detected at shallow seas off the eastern coast of Taiwan. “I wanted to run away but I wasn’t dressed. It was so strong,” said Kelvin Hwang, a guest at a hotel in the capital Taipei, who took refuge in the lobby of the elevator to the ninth floor.
A major disaster for the island averted
Strict construction rules and good preparation for natural disasters appear to have avoided a major disaster for the island, which is regularly hit by earthquakes.
In Hualien, “two buildings collapsed” trapping people, said a fire official in this port of nearly 100,000 inhabitants, located at the foot of a mountain range and gorges. Photos released by the Central News Agency (CNA) showed a seven-story red building in the city partially collapsed, tilted at about 60 degrees. Bulldozers were mobilized to clear rocks blocking roads to Hualien, according to images broadcast by local television channels.
Tsunami alerts lifted
The earthquake initially triggered tsunami warnings in Taiwan, the southwestern islands of Japan and several provinces in the Philippines, where people in coastal areas were urged to seek higher ground.
Japanese and Philippine authorities eventually canceled their alerts, and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, a regional observatory based in Hawaii (United States), announced around 02:00 GMT that “the tsunami threat has now largely passed.” , while calling on residents of coastal regions to remain cautious.
Naha airport, the largest on the Japanese island of Okinawa, temporarily suspended air traffic and flights planned to this destination were diverted. However, recordings of departing flights resumed after the alert was lifted. “The earthquake is close to the coast and shallow. It is felt throughout Taiwan and neighboring islands… It is the strongest in 25 years, since the 1999 earthquake,” the quake told reporters. director of the Taipei Seismological Center, Wu Chien-fu. A 7.6 magnitude earthquake killed 2,400 people in September 1999, the worst disaster in Taiwan’s modern history.
Tremor felt in China
Across the Formosa Strait, residents in eastern China’s Fujian province and other areas reported on social media that they also felt strong tremors.
China, which considers Taiwan to be part of its territory, said it was observing the earthquake “very carefully” and said it was “ready to provide aid to the victims”, according to the national news agency New China. Activity at some factories at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world’s largest chipmaker, was briefly interrupted, a company official told AFP.
Located on the border of several tectonic plates, Taiwan and Japan are frequently affected by earthquakes. In Japan, the Fukushima disaster (north-east) in March 2011, which left around 20,000 people dead or missing, is still remembered. A 9.0 magnitude underwater earthquake caused a gigantic tsunami on the country’s northeast coast, which also caused the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, the worst since Chernobyl in 1986.
The Noto Peninsula, in central Japan, also suffered a magnitude 7.5 earthquake on January 1, which left more than 240 people dead, notably due to the collapse of many old wooden houses.