Taiwan hit by strong earthquake

An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 struck off the coast of Taiwan yesterday, triggering tsunami warnings in Japan that forced thousands of people to urgently evacuate.

Taiwanese media reported that people were trapped inside collapsed buildings in the eastern city of Hualien.

Television images showed buildings in Hualien shaken off their foundations while there are reports of power outages in parts of Taiwan.

The strong earthquake, which struck at 7.58am local time was felt as far away as Shanghai.

Tsunami alerts were issued for the coastal areas of Japan near the southern prefecture of Okinawa, with residents told to leave urgently.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said a tsunami wave of 30cm was detected on the coast of Yonaguni island about 15 minutes after the quake struck. Smaller waves were measured in Ishigaki and Miyako islands.

Japan’s Self Defence Forces sent aircraft to gather information about the tsunami impact around the Okinawa region and were preparing shelters for evacuees if necessary.

The Philippines has also issued a tsunami warning to residents on its northern coast, warning 23 provinces where it said “high tsunami waves” were expected to hit that “may continue for hours”.

Japan’s meteorological agency described the earthquake as very shallow, which can cause significant damage. The United States Geological Survey said the quake’s epicentre was 18km south of Taiwan’s Hualien City at a depth of about 33km.

Live TV footage from the Okinawa region’s ports, including Naha, showed vessels heading out to sea, possibly in efforts to protect their ships.

Flights have been suspended at Naha airport in Okinawa.

Taiwan is regularly hit by earthquakes because the island lies near the junction of two tectonic plates.

The earthquake was “the strongest in 25 years”, according to Wu Chienfu the director of Taipei’s Seismology Centre, referring to a 7.6-magnitude quake that hit Taiwan in September 1999, killing about 2400 people in the deadliest natural disaster in the island’s history.

— Telegraph Group Ltd