A powerful earthquake shook Taiwan; the threat of tsunami in Japan.
A powerful earthquake shook Taiwan; the threat of tsunami in Japan
Image source : REUTERS
Train traffic was stopped on the island of 23 million inhabitants; No casualties were reported in Hualien, which suffered the most damage. The entire island of Taiwan was rocked early Wednesday morning by a powerful earthquake that collapsed buildings in the southern city and triggered a shallow tsunami that washed ashore in Japan’s southern islands.
The tsunami passed without serious damage in Japan. The Japan Meteorological Agency lowered its forecast from 3 meters to 1 meter (3.3 feet). One island had a wave of about 30 centi meters (feet), while other islands had smaller waves. Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said there were no reports of injuries or damage in Japan. The five-story building in Taiwan’s sparsely populated Hualien appeared to be heavily damaged, with the first floor collapsing and the rest of the building at a 45-degree angle. corner corner.
A powerful earthquake shook Taiwan
Tiles fell from old buildings and some newer office complexes in the capital, Taipei. Schools evacuated their students to sports fields, equipping them with yellow protective headgear. Many young children also wore motorcycle helmets to protect themselves from falling objects during the ongoing aftershocks.
Train services on the island of 23 million people were suspended, as was subway service in Taipei, where a newly built landline was partially disrupted. The walls and roof of the pre-World War II school and the state legislature were also damaged. Despite the earthquake during the morning rush hour, there was little panic on the island, which is regularly shaken by tremors. And organized exercises in schools and distributed announcements through public media and mobile phones. Schools and government agencies have been given the option to cancel work and classes.
Solar eclipse 2024 will be a historic event in the US
The death toll in the city of Hualien, where a devastating earthquake in 2018 demolished a historic hotel and other buildings, is still unknown. Taiwan’s largest earthquake in recent years occurred on September 21, 1999, with a magnitude of 7.7, killing 2,400 people, injuring about 100,000, and destroying thousands of buildings.
A powerful earthquake shook Taiwan; the threat of tsunami in Japan
The Taiwan Earthquake Monitoring Agency estimated the 7.2 earthquake, the US Geological Survey. gave it at 7:48 am It struck about 18 kilo meters southwest of Hualien at 7:58 am. and was about 35 kilo meters (21 miles) deep. The impact was felt as far away as Taiwan-controlled Kinmen Island, according to Wu Chien-fu, director of the Taiwan Earthquake Observatory. off the coast of China.
Several aftershocks were felt in Taipei within an hour of the first earthquake. USGS said one of the aftershocks had a magnitude of 6.5 and measured 11.8 kilo meters (7 miles). China has not issued a tsunami warning for mainland China. According to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, there was no tsunami warning for Hawaii or the US Pacific territory of Guam.