(Taipei) An underwater earthquake of magnitude greater than 7 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 .
In Hualien, on the eastern coast of Taiwan, near the epicenter, two buildings collapsed, firefighters announced, raising fears that there would be casualties.
“Two buildings have collapsed and people are believed to be trapped. We have no more information at the moment,” said a fire official from this port of nearly 100,000 inhabitants, located at the foot of a mountain range and gorges.
More than 50 people were injured in Taiwan in a powerful earthquake measuring more than 7 magnitude that struck near the island’s coast on Wednesday, the Taipei rescue operations center said.
A person who was on a hiking trail “is presumed dead” after being crushed by a rock in the Hualien region (east) close to the epicenter of the earthquake, the center said.
The magnitude of the 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 Taiwan Meteorological Agency (CWA). ).
It took place at shallow depths shortly before 8 p.m. (Eastern time), according to these agencies, and was followed by several aftershocks.
SCREENSHOT TVBS, VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS
A man checks a partially collapsed building in Hualien, eastern Taiwan, Wednesday, April 3, 2024.
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 warnings, and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, a regional observatory based in Hawaii, United States, announced around 10 p.m. (Eastern Time) that “the threat tsunami has now largely passed”, while calling on residents of coastal regions to remain cautious.
Airport closed
Naha airport, the largest on the Japanese island of Okinawa, suspended air traffic and flights planned to this destination were diverted. However, recordings of departing flights resumed after the alert was lifted.
No casualties were reported in the Okinawa region, said Japanese government spokesperson Yoshimasa Hayashi. According to the JMA, waves of 30 cm were reported in the islands of Yonaguni and Miyako, and 20 cm in that of Ishigaki, all located in the extreme southwest of the archipelago.
In Taiwan, photos released by the Central News Agency (CNA) showed a seven-story red building in Hualien partially collapsed, tilted at about 60 degrees.
“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,” Taipei Seismological Center director Wu Chien-fu told reporters.
A 7.6 magnitude earthquake killed 2,400 people in September 1999, the worst disaster in Taiwan’s modern history.
In the Taiwanese capital, the subway briefly stopped operating, but traffic resumed after an hour. Residents were asked to check for possible gas leaks caused by the quake.
“I wanted to run away, but I wasn’t dressed. It was so loud,” said Kelvin Hwang, a guest at a downtown hotel, who took refuge in the elevator lobby on the ninth floor.
Located on the border of several tectonic plates, Taiwan and Japan are frequently affected by earthquakes. To limit risks as much as possible, both countries apply some of the strictest construction standards in the world.
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 1er January, which left more than 240 dead, notably due to the collapse of numerous old wooden houses.