Last Wednesday, a strong earthquake hit Taiwan, shaking the entire island and causing buildings to collapse. Japan has issued a tsunami warning for the Okinawa island group in southern Japan.
Taiwan 0918 Earthquake Emergency Operations Central Operations Center | Via Reuters
Taiwan’s strongest earthquake in a quarter of a century shook the island during the morning rush Wednesday, damaging buildings and creating a tsunami that swept across Japan’s southern islands. There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries and the tsunami threat largely passed about two hours later.
A five-story building in the sparsely populated southeastern coastal city of Hualien, near the epicenter, appeared badly damaged, causing the first floor to collapse and leaving the rest tilted at a 45-degree angle. In the capital, tiles fell from older buildings and inside some newer office complexes, while debris fell from some construction sites. Schools evacuated students to sports fields, equipping them with yellow safety helmets. Some also covered themselves with textbooks to protect themselves from falling objects as the aftershocks continued.
Rail service was suspended across the island of 23 million people, as was subway service in Taipei, where a newly built above-ground line partially separated. The National Legislative Building, a renovated school built before World War II, also suffered damage to its walls and ceilings.
Traffic along the east coast was virtually at a standstill, with landslides and falling debris hitting tunnels and highways in the mountainous region. Those caused damage to vehicles, although it’s unclear whether anyone was injured.
Rescue workers and emergency workers block a road where a building broke away from its foundation, the morning after an earthquake struck the city of Hualien in eastern Taiwan.
Paolo Yang | Afp | Getty Images
Despite the tremor occurring at the height of the morning rush hour, just before 8am, the initial panic quickly subsided on the island, which is regularly shaken by earthquakes and prepares for them with drills in schools and warnings spread through the media public and mobile phones.
However, the earthquake was strong enough to scare people accustomed to such tremors.
“Earthquakes are a common occurrence and I have gotten used to it. But today was the first time I was scared to tears by an earthquake,” said Hsien-hsuen Keng, a Taipei resident. “I was woken up by the earthquake. I had never felt such an intense tremor before.”
He said his fifth-floor apartment shook so badly that “aside from earthquake drills in elementary school, this was the first time I had experienced such a situation.”
There is no word yet on victims at the epicenter near the city of Hualien, where a deadly earthquake in 2018 collapsed a historic hotel and other buildings. The worst earthquake in recent years in Taiwan occurred on September 21, 1999, with a magnitude of 7.7, causing 2,400 deaths, around 100,000 injuries and destroying thousands of buildings.
This image shows dust rising from debris that fell from a hill after an aftershock shook the Shanlin region of southern Kaohsiung County, Taiwan.
Afp | Afp | Getty Images
The Japan Meteorological Agency said a 30-centimeter (about 1 foot) tsunami wave was detected on the coast of Yonaguni island about 15 minutes after the earthquake. Smaller waves were measured on Ishigaki and Miyako Islands. Japan sent military planes to gather information on the impact in the Okinawa region.
Taiwan’s earthquake monitoring agency estimated the magnitude at 7.2 while the US Geological Survey put it at 7.4. It struck about 18 kilometers south-southwest of Hualien and was about 35 kilometers (21 miles) deep. Numerous aftershocks followed, and the USGS said one of the subsequent earthquakes was magnitude 6.5 and 11.8 kilometers (7 miles) deep. Shallower earthquakes tend to cause more surface damage.
According to Chinese media, the earthquake was felt in Shanghai and several provinces along China’s southeastern coast. China and Taiwan are about 160 kilometers (100 miles) apart. China has not issued any tsunami warnings for mainland China.
Residents of China’s Fujian province reported violent tremors, according to Jimu News, an online outlet. A man told Jimu that the shaking woke him up and lasted about a minute.
In the Philippines, residents along the northern coast were told to evacuate to higher ground, but no large tsunami was reported about three hours after the earthquake.
Tsunami warnings have been lifted in Batanes, Cagayan, Ilocos Norte and Isabela provinces, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said no injuries or damage had been reported in Japan. He urged residents in the Okinawa region to remain on high ground until all tsunami warnings are lifted. He warned people against misinformation and urged them to remain calm and help others.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no tsunami threat to Hawaii or the U.S. territory of Guam in the Pacific. About three hours after the earthquake, it said the threat had largely passed for all areas, with waves reported only in Taiwan and southern Japan.
Taiwan lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” the line of seismic faults surrounding the Pacific Ocean where most of the world’s earthquakes occur.