Toppled Buildings, Dangling Highways: Scary Visuals After Strongest Earthquake In 25 Years Hits Taiwan — VIDEO
Tsunami warnings were issued by Taiwan and Japan after the strong earthquake hit off the cost of Taiwan on Wednesday.
Scary visuals emerged from Taiwan after a strong 7.5 magnitude earthquake jolted the island nation on Wednesday morning. The epicentre of the quake, according to the Taiwan central weather administration, was located just off the coast of the eastern county of Hualien, in waters off the eastern coastline of Taiwan Island.
The footage shared by users on social media showed toppled buildings, shaking skyscrapers, and jolting highways. Taiwanese television stations showed footage of buildings shaking off their foundation in the eastern city of Hualien.
According to news agency AFP, two buildings near the epicentre have "collapsed", said the Hualien fire department.
WATCH: Dashcam captures 7.4 quake on highway in eastern Taiwan pic.twitter.com/P6oJetpML7
— BNO News (@BNONews) April 3, 2024
❗💥🇹🇼 - Rescue operations underway at buildings collapsed by the earthquake in Hualien City, Taiwan.
— 🔥🗞The Informant (@theinformant_x) April 3, 2024
Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturing giant TSMC has evacuated its factories following the earthquake. pic.twitter.com/0KcmQ0ySnD
WATCH: Strong earthquake causes landslide in eastern Taiwan pic.twitter.com/SQZFyd7zgj
— BNO News (@BNONews) April 3, 2024
#WATCH | An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 hit Taipei, the capital of Taiwan.
— ANI (@ANI) April 3, 2024
(Source: Reuters) pic.twitter.com/SkHBHrluaZ
#WATCH | An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 hit Taipei, the capital of Taiwan.
— ANI (@ANI) April 3, 2024
Visuals from Beibin Street, Hualien City, Hualien County, eastern Taiwan.
(Source: Focus Taiwan) pic.twitter.com/G8CaqLIgXf
Immediately following the earthquake, a tsunami warning was issued by Japan for its southern islands of Miyakojima and Okinawa and Taipei also issued similar warning. The Philippines Seismology Agency also issued a warning for residents in coastal areas of several provinces and urged them to evacuate to higher ground.
While the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said that tsunami warning "largely passed" after the quake, the main airport in Okinawa suspended flights after the tsunami warning, said the officials, reported AFP.
ALSO READ: Strong 7.5 Magnitude Earthquake Jolts Taiwan, Japan Issues Tsunami Warning For Southern Islands
The tremors were felt as far as Shanghai and also in Fuzhou, Xiamen, Quanzhou and Ningde in China's Fujian province.
Taiwan's central news agency said that quake was the biggest to hit the island nation since 1999 when a 7.6 magnitude tremor killed around 2,400 people.