An earthquake of magnitude 7.4 was recorded this Wednesday, April 3, 2023 in Taiwan. The results show several deaths.
The essential :
- A magnitude 7.4 earthquake was recorded in Taiwan this Wednesday, April 3 at 8 a.m. (local time), 2 a.m. (Paris time).
- The first report shows 4 dead and around 60 injured.
- The quake caused a tsunami in the Okinawa islands of Japan and Taiwan
- The earthquake is the most powerful recorded on the island since that of September 1999 which caused the death of 2,400 people.
Live
08:45 – New report: more than 700 injured
After the 7.4 magnitude earthquake that occurred this Wednesday morning on the island, the new report now shows more than 700 injured according to the latest communication from the Taiwanese authorities.
08:32 – Tsunami risk “largely past”
After several tsunami warnings in Japan and the Philippines, this risk is estimated as “largely passed” by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, a regional observatory based in Hawaii. At the same time, the first images reaching us from Hualien in Taiwan attest to the extreme violence of the phenomenon.
08:28 – A lake near the epicenter in the grip of the earthquake
An image is also making the rounds on social networks this Wednesday morning. This is this video from a webcam filming a lake east of the epicenter of the earthquake, at the time of the incident. A video relayed by BNO News Live.
08:23 – The first images broadcast on social networks
Several videos attesting to the power of the earthquake are beginning to circulate on social networks. In particular, we see an entire television studio shaking, and the presenter trying as best she can to hold the antenna.
08:21 – 26 buildings collapsed
The Taiwanese government has just indicated the collapse of at least 26 buildings so far in the city of Hualien. At the same time, 20 people are currently trapped under the rubble. “People could be trapped, we have no more information at the moment,” declared a Hualien fire official, relayed by BFMTV.
08:17 – 60 injured and 4 dead
The first report communicated by the authorities shows around sixty injured, a few hours after the earthquake. For the moment, four victims have also been reported, announced the national firefighting agency. The deaths occurred in Hualien County, near the epicenter of the earthquake. Three victims were present on a hiking trail, the fourth in a road tunnel. The collapse of several buildings and structures could increase the human toll.
Learn more
A magnitude 7.4 underwater earthquake occurred in Taiwan on Wednesday, just before 8 a.m. (local time) on the island’s east coast. It was the most powerful earthquake to hit the island in 25 years. Tsunami warnings were issued in Japan and the Philippines. On site, firefighters reported an initial provisional toll of four dead and sixty injured. On the eastern coast, near the epicenter, two buildings collapsed in Hualien. Potential new victims could be found there. “Three victims died on a hiking trail, and the fourth in a road tunnel” reports Le Figaro. Images posted on social networks bear witness to the violence of the earthquake.
“The earthquake is close to the coast, and shallow. It is felt throughout Taiwan and in the neighboring islands… It is the strongest in 25 years, since the 1999 earthquake” explained this morning the director from the Taipei Seismological Center. In September 1999, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake killed 2,400 people.
“It was definitely the biggest I’ve felt in my life and it lasted maybe 30 seconds, although it seemed to last much longer,” explains Phil Smith, a Briton living in Taipei in the columns of Figaro.
This Wednesday, April 3, 2024, the Japanese and Philippine authorities canceled their tsunami alerts. “The tsunami threat has now largely passed,” says the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, a regional observatory based in Hawaii. Naha airport, the largest on the Japanese island of Okinawa, suspended air traffic and flights planned to this destination were diverted. Finally, the Philippines warned of “high tsunami waves” and called for the evacuation of several coastal areas. “Residents in coastal areas of the following provinces are strongly advised to immediately evacuate to higher ground or move further inland.” 23 provinces would be affected.