Taiwan issues tsunami warning after 7.4 magnitude quake
2 Min Read
Director of Taipei's Seismology Centre announces that the earthquake in Taiwan is the 'strongest in 25 years'.
-
A building falls after Taiwan was struck with a 7.5 magnitude earthquake on Wednesday at dawn on April 3, 2024. (Social media)
On Wednesday, a powerful earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale struck near Taiwan just before 9:00 am local time in Japan (0000 GMT), announced Japan's Meteorological Agency. This prompted tsunami warnings for the southern Japanese islands.
The agency anticipated tsunami waves reaching heights of up to three meters (10 feet) imminently for remote Japanese islands near Taiwan, such as Miyakojima island.
"Evacuate!" said a banner on national broadcaster NHK.
"Tsunami is coming. Please evacuate immediately," an anchor on NHK said. "Do not stop. Do not go back."
⚠️⚠️⚠️ WARNING: BACK TO BACK EARTHQUAKES IN TAIWAN !!!
— Q ™️ (@QTHESTORMM) April 3, 2024
TSUNAMI ALARMS GOING OFF NOW !!! pic.twitter.com/AzJs32QmLm
It is worth noting that the earthquake was "the strongest in 25 years", said the director of Taipei's Seismology Centre.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake measured 7.4 in magnitude, with its epicenter located 18 kilometers south of Taiwan's Hualien City at a depth of 34.8 kilometers.
🇹🇼 BREAKING! An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 has occurred near Taiwan, with a tsunami threat declared for the Japanese southern islands of Okinawa and Miyako.
— DD Geopolitics (@DD_Geopolitics) April 3, 2024
Additionally, less than 15 minutes later, a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 6.6 struck near Taiwan, as… pic.twitter.com/Hc0O88ixqI
On the other hand, the Philippines issued a warning of "high tsunami waves" and urged the evacuation of coastal regions across the country on Wednesday following a 7.4-magnitude earthquake in neighboring Taiwan.
"The people in the coastal areas of the following provinces are strongly advised to immediately evacuate to higher grounds or move farther inland," the state seismology institute said in an advisory.
The warning encompassed coastal regions in 23 provinces spanning from the northern to the southern parts of the archipelago nation, excluding the capital Manila. The announcement stated that these areas "are anticipated to encounter significant tsunami waves" according to tsunami wave models.
A portion of Guishan Island, also referred to as Turtle Island, has reportedly become ‘separated’ due to earthquakes in Taiwan.
— Ｎｅｒｄｙ 🅰🅳🅳🅸🅲🆃 (@Nerdy_Addict) April 3, 2024
pic.twitter.com/h4m1EgV7zY
"Owners of boats in harbors, estuaries, or shallow coastal water of the above-mentioned provinces should secure their boats and move away from the waterfront," it said.
Soon after, a government official confirmed that flights were promptly suspended at the primary airport in Japan's southern region of Okinawa on Wednesday due to a tsunami alert.
Naha Airport operations were suspended as a precautionary measure starting at 9:25 am local time (0025 GMT), according to a transport ministry official stationed at the airport who informed AFP. The official also noted that "incoming flights are required to divert."
