Strong earthquake hits island, damages buildings
A powerful earthquake rocked Taiwan during the morning rush Wednesday, damaging buildings and creating a tsunami that washed ashore on southern Japanese islands.
A five-storey building in the lightly populated city of Hualien appeared heavily damaged, collapsing its first floor and leaving the rest leaning at a 45-degree angle. In the capital, Taipei, tiles fell from older buildings and within some newer office complexes. Schools evacuated their students to sports fields, equipping them with protective yellow head coverings. Many small children also wore motorcycle helmets to guard against falling objects amid continuing aftershocks.
Train service was suspended across the island of 23 million people, as was subway service in Taipei, where a newly constructed aboveground line partially separated.
The national legislature, a converted school built before the Second World War, also had damage to walls and ceilings.
Despite the quake striking at the height of the morning rush hour, there was little panic on the island that regularly is rocked by temblors and holds drills at schools and issues notices via public media and mobile phone. Schools and government offices were given the option of cancelling work and classes.
Taiwan’s worst quake in recent years struck on Sept. 21, 1999, with a magnitude of 7.7, killing 2,400, injuring around 100,000 and destroying thousands of buildings.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said a tsunami wave of 30 centimetres was detected on the coast of Yonaguni island about 15 minutes after the quake struck.
Taiwan’s earthquake monitoring agency gave the magnitude as 7.2 while the U.S. Geological Survey put it at 7.4.