Taiwan earthquake death toll 4, tsunami warning lifted

Taiwn was hit by the strongest earthquake in the last 25 years on Wednesday morning resulting in the death of at least four people while 60 others were injured. The massive 7.4 earthquake occured at at 5:28 am local time with the epicentre about 4 kilometres from Shoufeng township in Hualien county of Taiwan and the depth was recorded at 34.8 kilometres.

A tsunami warning was also issued for Japan and the Philippines but it was lifted after a few hours. While small tsunami waves did hit the southern Janapese islands of Miyakojima and Okinawa but there were no reports of any casualties.

The tremblor was also felt in Japan, Philippines, and China. Several building were damaged in Taiwan.

The Philippines issued a tsunami warning with people in the coastal areas across the provinces of Batanes Group of Islands, Cagayan, Ilocos Norte and Isabela have been “strongly advised to immediately evacuate to higher grounds or move further inland,” according to the advisory.

CNN reported that the coastal areas fronting the Pacific Ocean are expected to experience “high tsunami waves.” The first waves were forecast to hit from 8:33 a.m. local time until 10:33 a.m. on Wednesday (8:33 p.m. to 10:33 p.m. ET on Tuesday).

Owners of boats in harbours, estuaries, or shallow coastal water have also been asked to secure their boats and move away from the waterfront. Boats already out at sea should stay offshore in deep waters until further advised, the advisory said.

In the aftermath of a powerful earthquake that rocked Taiwan’s eastern shores on Wednesday, all flights to Japan’s Naha Airport on Okinawa island have been diverted, CNN reported citing the airport’s spokesperson.

As a precautionary measure to evade loss of life in anticipation of the tsunami’s impact, all staff and personnel have evacuated to the third floor of the airport building, the airport spokesperson, Hideaki Tsurudo told CNN, adding that no waves have reached the airport in the timeframe of the warning.

Additionally, all flights from Japan’s Okinawa and Kagoshima regions have been suspended following tsunami warnings in the area, according to Japan Airlines.

Flights that were headed to the areas with tsunami warnings have been turned back, it added.

The earthquake tremor in Taiwan triggered tsunami alerts in southern Japan.

An intensity level of 5+ was reported in Yilan County in the northeast and in Miaoli County in the north, while 5- was reported in Taipei City, New Taipei City, Taoyuan City and Hsinchu County in the north, Taichung City, Changhua County and Nantou County in central Taiwan, the Central Weather Agency said

The alert was prompted by an earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 7.4, occurring shortly before 9 am The Japan Meteorological Agency identified the earthquake’s epicenter near Taiwan, according to NHK.

(With inputs from ANI)