On the island, it was the most powerful earthquake in 25 years. An underwater earthquake of magnitude greater than 7 occurred this Wednesday, April 3 near Taiwan. In Hualien, on the eastern coast of the island, near the epicenter, two buildings collapsed, firefighters announced.
According to an initial provisional report from the Taipei emergency operations center, four deaths and more than 50 injured are to be deplored. A person who was on a hiking trail “is presumed dead” after being crushed by a rock in the Hualien region, close to the epicenter of the earthquake, the center also said.
The magnitude of the earthquake was estimated at 7.5 by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), 7.4 by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and 7.2 by the Taiwan Meteorological Agency (CWA). ). It took place at shallow depth shortly before midnight, according to these agencies, and was followed by several aftershocks.
The earthquake initially triggered tsunami warnings in Taiwan, the southwestern islands of Japan and several provinces in the Philippines, where people in coastal areas were urged to seek higher ground. These alerts were finally lifted by the Japanese and Philippine authorities.
Around 2 a.m., the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, a regional observatory based in Hawaii, said that “the tsunami threat has now largely passed,” while calling on residents of coastal regions to remain cautious.
Victims of repeated earthquakes
Naha airport, the largest on the Japanese island of Okinawa, suspended air traffic and flights planned to this destination were diverted. However, recordings of departing flights resumed after the alert was lifted.
According to the JMA, waves of 30 cm were reported in the islands of Yonaguni and Miyako, and 20 cm in that of Ishigaki, all located in the extreme southwest of the archipelago. In Taiwan, photos released by the Central News Agency (CNA) showed a seven-story red building in Hualien partially collapsed, tilted at about 60 degrees.
Located on the border of several tectonic plates, Taiwan and Japan are frequently affected by earthquakes. In 1999, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake killed 2,400 people on the island – the worst disaster in Taiwan’s modern history.
In Japan, the Fukushima disaster in March 2011, which left around 20,000 people dead or missing, is still remembered. A 9.0 magnitude underwater earthquake caused a gigantic tsunami on the country’s northeastern coast, which also caused the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident.
The Noto Peninsula, in central Japan, also suffered a magnitude 7.5 earthquake on January 1, which left more than 240 people dead, notably due to the collapse of many old wooden houses. To limit risks as much as possible, both countries apply some of the strictest construction standards in the world.