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- Written by Rupert Wingfield-Hayes and Kelly Ng
- in Taipei and Singapore
Half-destroyed building in Hualien City
A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck off Taiwan’s east coast on Wednesday, triggering a tsunami warning for Taiwan and neighboring countries.
The epicenter of the quake was about 18 kilometers (11 miles) south of Hualien City, Taiwan, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Several buildings in Hualien were seen partially collapsed and leaning at dangerous angles.
Seismologists say this is the strongest earthquake in Taiwan in 25 years.
Taiwanese semiconductor giant TSMC said it had evacuated parts of its factories in Hsinchu and southern Taiwan for the safety of employees, but added that safety systems were working normally.
TSMC is a leading manufacturer of semiconductors for technology companies such as Apple and Nvidia.
In the capital Taipei, videos showed buildings shaking violently, objects flying off shelves and furniture toppling over.
Videos posted on social media show the earthquake triggered massive landslides in Taiwan’s mountainous interior. The extent of the damage is not yet known.
Footage from local media showed collapsed residential buildings and people evacuating their homes and schools. According to footage broadcast by local broadcaster TVBS, vehicles were destroyed in the earthquake and items inside the store were thrown into disarray.
Inside an apartment in New Taipei City
In neighboring Japan, the Japan Meteorological Agency announced that tsunami waves of up to 3 meters are expected to reach large areas of the southwest coast.
The agency warned residents to remain “on alert for aftershocks of similar strength” for about a week.
The Philippine Earthquake Authority also issued a tsunami warning.
Chinese state media said the tremor was felt in parts of southeast China’s Fujian province.
“This earthquake was close to land and shallow. It was felt all over Taiwan and the offshore islands… It’s the strongest earthquake in the past 25 years,” said Wu Qian Hu, director of the Taipei Seismology Center.
In September 1999, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck Taiwan, killing 2,400 people and destroying 5,000 buildings.
Wednesday’s quake struck at 07:58 local time (23:58 GMT) at a depth of 15.5 km and triggered at least nine aftershocks of magnitude 4 or higher.
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