Taiwan: Thousands are without electricity and “people are trapped in buildings” after a strong earthquake | world News

Taiwan has been hit by its strongest earthquake in 25 years, causing buildings to collapse and widespread power outages.

The Taiwan Earthquake Monitoring Agency said that the strength of the earthquake that occurred on Wednesday morning reached 7.2 on the Richter scale, while the US Geological Survey estimated its strength at 7.4 and the Japan Meteorological Agency at 7.7.

The earthquake caused a small tsunami in some coastal areas in Japan, but warnings were later lifted.

Four people died and at least 57 others were injured in eastern Taiwan's Hualien County – the epicenter of the quake – which occurred during the morning rush hour at 7.58am local time (3am UK time).

The epicenter of the quake was about 22 miles deep and about 11 miles southwest of Hualien City.

Image: Buildings shook from their foundations in Taiwan. Photo: TVBS

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01:09 The strongest earthquake in Taiwan since 1999

In the capital, Taipei, in the north of the island, tiles fell from the roofs of old buildings and inside some newer office complexes.

Meanwhile, more than 87,000 households in Taiwan were without electricity, according to the island's electricity company.

Train services were suspended throughout Taiwan, which has a population of 23 million people, as well as the metro.

A five-storey building in Hualien was severely damaged. The first floor collapsed, leaving the rest leaning at a 45-degree angle.

Traffic along the eastern coast was virtually halted, as landslides and falling debris hit tunnels and highways in the mountainous region.

The Taipei National Legislature, a converted school before World War II, also suffered damage to walls and ceilings.

Schools evacuated their students to sports fields and provided them with yellow safety helmets.

Some also covered themselves with textbooks to protect against falling objects as aftershocks continued.

Photo: Pic: TVBS

“Earthquakes are common, and I've gotten used to them. But today was the first time I was scared to the point of crying because of an earthquake. The earthquake woke me up. I've never felt such intense shaking before,” said Taipei resident Hsin Hswen Keng.

She said her fifth-floor apartment shook so badly that “except for earthquake drills in elementary school, this was the first time I had encountered such a situation.”

Photo: A view of a destroyed apartment in Taiwan. Photo: Reuters

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said his country is ready to support Taiwan in the wake of the earthquake.

The Japan Meteorological Agency described the earthquake as very superficial, which could cause greater damage.

The agency also said that people “should be vigilant” in anticipation of aftershocks that could be of the same intensity for about a week.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said that there were no reports of injuries or damage in Japan.

Residents in the Okinawa area were urged to remain on higher ground until all tsunami warnings were lifted.

Image: Pic: Reuters

The Philippine Seismological Agency also urged residents in coastal areas in several provinces to evacuate to higher areas.

Chinese media confirmed that residents of Shanghai and several provinces along the southeastern coast of China felt the earthquake.

China and Taiwan are about 100 miles apart. China has not issued any tsunami warnings for the Chinese mainland.

Image: A landslide occurred as a result of the earthquake that struck Taiwan. Photo: Tutolovet

Residents of Taipei felt several aftershocks in the hour following the initial quake. One of the subsequent tremors was seven miles deep and had a magnitude of 6.5, the Geological Society of America said.

Taiwan lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a line of seismic faults where most of the world's earthquakes occur.

The worst earthquake to hit Taiwan in recent years occurred in 1999, with a magnitude of 7.7, killing 2,400 people, injuring about 100,000, and destroying thousands of buildings.

In March 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake was the strongest in Japanese history – triggering a massive tsunami and the world's worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl.

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