ALBAWABA - In what counts as the strongest termor to jolt the country in more than 25 years, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit Taiwan killing at least four people and injuring more than 700 people according to authorities.
Tsunami warnings for Okinawa Prefecture and the Philippines were issued which that was later lifted. Wu Chien-fu, director of Taipei's Central Weather Administration's Seismology Center stated that the earthquake was near to land and shallow. it was felt throughout Taiwan and the surrounding islands.
Strict building restrictions and disaster awareness appear to have avoided a big catastrophe for the island, which is frequently struck by earthquakes due to its location near the confluence of two tectonic plates.
Footage circulated on social media showed the severe damage the latest disaster has inflicted, with buildings severely shaking and cars stopping in the middle of the highways with drivers fearing for their lives.
Wu said the quake was the largest since a 7.6-magnitude earthquake occurred in September 1999, killing roughly 2,400 people in the island's deadliest natural disaster.
President Tsai Ing-wen ordered local and central government bodies to work together, and she stated that the national army also be providing support in the search and rescue efforts.
Japan's Meteorological Agency said that multiple small tsunami waves hit sections of Okinawa before downgrading the earlier tsunami warning to an advisory, which was also later dismissed.
According to a witness, aftershocks could still be felt in Taipei, and the Central Weather Administration has recorded more than 25 aftershocks thus far. According to Chinese official media, the earthquake was felt in Fujian province, and a witness reported feeling it in Shanghai as well.
The Taipei city government said there were no reports of severe damage and the city's MRT was back up and running quickly after the tremor. Still, energy provider Taipower said more than 87,000 households in Taiwan were without power.
The earthquake had no effect on Taiwan's two nuclear power plants, according to Taipower. According to the National Fire Agency, all of the deaths happened in Hualien County, and 736 people were injured in the quake, however, the severity of the injuries was not specified.
After the quake, local TV showed dramatic footage of multi-story structures in Hualien and elsewhere swaying, as well as a warehouse in New Taipei City that collapsed.
The mayor stated that more than 50 individuals had been rescued from the structure's debris. Local television stations showed bulldozers cleaning rocks along roads to Hualien, a mountain-ringed coastal city of approximately 100,000 people shut off by landslides.
