A 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck the southeastern part of Taiwan. Meteorological offices have issued warnings of a devastating tsunami, while rescue operations are continuing for areas where the earthquake intensity exceeded 7 degrees.
A 6.8-magnitude earthquake shook the sparsely populated southeastern part of the island, the Taiwan Meteorological Bureau said on Sunday, prompting a tsunami warning and causing damage including a building collapse and derailment of train cars.
#watch | A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.9 hits areas near the Taiwanese city of Taitung , causing severe damage pic.twitter.com/6gvl2XSKuD
— TRT Arabic (@TRTArabi) September 18, 2022
The meteorological office said that the epicenter of the quake was located in Taitung County and came after a 6.4-magnitude quake on Saturday evening in the same area, but no injuries were reported.
🇹🇼🇯🇵: Un séisme de magnitude 7,2 frappe au large de Taïwan, sur l'île japonaise de Miyakojima #Taiwan #Earthquake #Japan #台湾地震 #臺灣 #地震 #台湾pic.twitter.com/FS9NrndEDC
— RASEK 🐭 (@rasekrasek) September 18, 2022
The US Geological Survey estimated the earthquake's strength at 7.2 and its epicenter at a depth of ten kilometers.
Séisme de magnitude 7,2 enregistré au large de Taiwan
Selon les médias locaux, une menace de tsunami a été déclarée pour l'île japonaise de Miyakojima. #taiwan #earthquake #miyakojima pic.twitter.com/8UQUYUHG5X
— kopp91 (@lunatic092) September 18, 2022
Taiwanese media reported that a low-rise building housing a grocery store had collapsed and that rescue operations had begun to dig out those trapped under the rubble.
The railway authority said three coaches derailed at Dongli station in the east of the country after part of the roof of the platform collapsed. It added that about 20 passengers on board were evacuated.
2 survivors have been rescued from the collapsed building in Yuli township in #Taiwan where 2 more are still being trapped inside. The 6.9 magnitude #earthquake hit the eastern part of the island Sunday afternoon after it was hit by a 6.6 magnitude earthquake Saturday night. pic.twitter.com/mELytXsZQR
— Media Warrior (@MediaWarriorY) September 18, 2022
The US Tsunami Warning Center issued a warning in Taiwan after the quake.
The center said dangerous tsunami waves could be located within 300 km of the epicenter along the coast of Taiwan.
The Japan Meteorological Agency also issued a one-meter tsunami warning for parts of Okinawa after the quake.
The quake was felt by residents across the island, and buildings shook for a while in the capital, Taipei, according to the Taiwan Meteorological Bureau.
Industrial parks in the southern cities of Tainan and Kaohsiung, which house major semiconductor factories, said the matter did not affect operations.
Taiwan lies near the intersection of two tectonic plates and is highly prone to earthquakes.
More than 100 people died in an earthquake in the south of the island in 2016, and a 7.3-magnitude earthquake in 1999 killed more than 2,000 people.