According to the rescue authorities, at least twenty people have been trapped.
Mikko Leppänen,
Yrjö Kokkonen
A strong earthquake occurred in the eastern part of Taiwan in the Hualien region on Wednesday morning. It was the strongest earthquake in Taiwan in 25 years.
According to the Taiwanese government, at least one person has died. In addition, more than 50 people have been injured and dozens of buildings have collapsed.
The fire department says that at least twenty people have been trapped. Rescue operations are underway.
People uploaded videos on social media showing buildings swaying from the force of the quake.
Depending on the source, the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.2–7.5. It caused several aftershocks.
Taiwan is located at the confluence of two continental plates, so earthquakes are common on the island.
– Earthquakes are common and I’m used to them. But today, for the first time, I was so scared that I started to cry, Taipei resident Hsien-hsuen Keng told the news agency AP.
Tsunami warning for Japan and the Philippines
Japan announced that it is ready to offer assistance to Taiwan.
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning for the southern islands of Japan. According to the warning, the earthquake was feared to cause a tsunami wave up to three meters high. However, Japan canceled the tsunami warning.
A tsunami warning was also issued for the coastal areas of the Philippines, but the warning was canceled a little later.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reports that the epicenter of the earthquake, which occurred at 3:00 a.m. Finnish time, was 18 kilometers south of the city of Hualien in Taiwan.
Around Hualien, which has about one hundred thousand inhabitants, several roads are cut off due to landslides.
Sources: AFP, AP, Reuters