According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), a 6.9-magnitude earthquake that struck south-eastern Taiwan on Sunday may have caused dangerous tsunami waves to form along coasts up to 300 kilometres (186 miles) away. The earthquake, which had a depth of 10 kilometres, struck the Chis hang township in rural southeast Taiwan.
Miyako island in the East China Sea was given a tsunami warning by the Japan Meteorological Agency, which eventually cancelled the alert. Following the strong earthquake, photos from southern Taiwan revealed destroyed structures. It was first listed by the USGS at 7.2 before being downgraded to 6.9.
According to the Central News Agency (CNA), the island’s official news agency, three persons are buried beneath one building’s debris. A fourth individual was saved. A nearby train derailed, causing about 20 people to be evacuated, but no one was hurt, according to the Taiwan Railway Administration.
Since an earthquake with a value of 7.2 on the Richter scale struck Taiwan’s Yujing area on Sunday, a few videos have gone popular on Twitter. One of the horrifying videos, provided by user Siraj Noorani, shows riders sprinting motorbikes along the road after being saved by a narrow eye following a landslide.
Earthquake in Taiwan!
📍 The horror moments of the earthquake in #Taiwan ) from the motorcycle camera 📹⬇️#Taiwan #earthquake #TaiwanEarthquake pic.twitter.com/P0Wr6XeJlI
— Siraj Noorani (@sirajnoorani) September 18, 2022
Damages were also reportedly recorded at a nearby school, according to Kolas Yotaka, a former presidential spokesman who is vying for office in Hualien County.
Following the earthquake, Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-Wen turned on the Central Emergency Operation Center for the island. In a taped statement, Tsai advised Taiwanese citizens to be vigilant to prevent dangerous aftershocks.
According to Taiwan’s defence ministry spokeswoman Sun Li-fang, some 110 troops have also been stationed in Hualien County along the island’s eastern coast to help with relief operations.
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