Taiwan hit by strongest earthquake in 25 years | EUROtoday

Officials mentioned the quake and sequence of aftershocks was the strongest to shake the island in many years and warned of extra tremors within the days forward.

“The earthquake is close to land and it’s shallow. It’s felt all over Taiwan and offshore islands,” mentioned Wu Chien-fu, director of Taipei’s Central Weather Administration’s Seismology Center.

More than 60 individuals have been injured and 1000’s have been urged to evacuate. Several buildings have collapsed, greater than half in Hualien, with about 20 individuals trapped and rescue work ongoing.

Television pictures confirmed properties and workplaces in Hualien shaken off their foundations, whereas Taiwan’s electrical energy operator mentioned 87,000 individuals throughout the nation are with out energy.

The quake precipitated a tsunami, which had been predicted to be as much as 3 metres (30ft) excessive and was anticipated to succeed in Japan’s southwestern Okinawa coast.

An alert was issued for the coastal areas of Japan close to the southern prefecture of Okinawa, with residents advised to depart urgently.

The waves that arrived weren’t as excessive as forecast, and the alert was downgraded to an advisory, although officers are nonetheless encouraging locals to avoid the realm.

A tsunami of about 0.3 metres (1ft) reached Yonaguni Island, in south-west Japan.

‘Evacuate! Do not stop. Do not go back’

A banner on Japanese nationwide broadcaster NHK advised viewers to “Evacuate!”

“Tsunami is coming. Please evacuate immediately,” an anchor on NHK mentioned. “Do not stop. Do not go back.”

The Philippines has additionally issued a tsunami warning to residents on northern coast, warning 23 provinces the place it mentioned “high tsunami waves” have been anticipated to hit that “may continue for hours”.