In Taiwan, a powerful earthquake leaves at least four dead and nearly sixty injured

The underwater earthquake occurred shortly before 8 a.m. (local time), and was followed by several aftershocks.

It is the most powerful earthquake to hit the island in twenty-five years. Four people died and nearly sixty were injured in Taiwan, according to authorities, in an earthquake greater than magnitude 7 which occurred on Wednesday April 3.

All the deaths occurred in the Hualien region, near the epicenter of the quake 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.

Tsunami alerts now lifted

The underwater earthquake occurred shortly before 8 a.m. (local time), and was followed by several aftershocks. Its epicenter was detected at shallow seas off the eastern coast of Taiwan. Its magnitude 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 Taiwan Meteorological Agency (CWA).

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 finally canceled their alerts, and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, a regional observatory based in Hawaii (United States), announced overnight that “the threat of tsunami has now largely passed”while calling on residents of coastal regions to remain cautious.