Today’s earthquake in Taiwan: the USGS reported a magnitude of 7.4, however the Japan Meteorological Agency reported a magnitude of 7.7.
Taiwan Earthquake Today News:On Wednesday, April 3, just before 8 a.m. local time, a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Taiwan’s east, sending tsunami warnings for the self-governing island and certain areas of southern Japan. Following the Taiwan earthquake, the Philippines likewise issued a tsunami warning and issued orders for the evacuation of coastal districts.
The national fire department reports that the number of injuries from the powerful earthquake in Taiwan has increased to 736 and the death toll has risen to seven. The epicenter of the earthquake was in Hualien County, a hilly area on Taiwan’s eastern coast, where all of the fatalities took place.
The earthquake’s epicenter was located 34.8 kilometers deep, 18 kilometers south of Hualien City, Taiwan, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), however the Japan Meteorological Agency reported a magnitude of 7.7.
According to the head of Taipei’s Seismology Center, the earthquake that struck the east of the country was “the strongest in 25 years.” “The earthquake is shallow and occurs near land. It is the strongest in 25 years since the 1999 earthquake, which killed 2,400 people, Wu Chien-fu told reporters. “It’s felt all over Taiwan and offshore islands… it’s the strongest in 25 years since the (1999) earthquake.”
In the sparsely inhabited Hualien, a five-story structure seemed severely damaged, with the first level collapsing and the remaining stories tilting at a 45-degree angle. Tiles from older buildings and some of the newer office complexes in Taipei, the capital, collapsed.
Taiwan earthquake: Latest updates
Taiwan’s capital, Taipei, was shaken by an earthquake offshore, which caused power outages in a few areas of the city.
Media outlets stated that several individuals were trapped when Taiwan television stations aired images of some crumbling structures in Hualien, close to the epicenter of the earthquake.