A massive 7.7 magnitude earthquake has rocked the entire island of Taiwan, with a terrifying tsunami warning being issued for Japan as buildings are torn from the foundations. At least seven people have been killed and 711 injured with dozens more trapped in the rubble.
Three metre tsunami waves were expected to hit Japan and an evacuation order has been issued in Okinawa, Miyako, and Yaeyama islands in Japan. The Philippines authorities have also issued tsunami warnings, urging people to get ready to flee or escape to safe zones. In the latest update, it was reported that China issued no tsunami warnings for the Chinese mainland.
At least four deaths have been confirmed by authorities but the overall death toll is unknown. People are trapped under buildings that have crumbled in the Southeast Asian country, which neighbours China, Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia. Any earthquake measuring 7.0 to 7.9 is defined as "Major earthquake. Serious damage." Buildings have collapsed in a southern city of Taiwan and the tsunami is washing ashore on southern Japanese islands.
BREAKING: Taiwan earthquake horror footage shows entire building collapse as Japan tsunami warning issued
The local United Daily News reported three hikers died in rockslides in Taroko National Park near the offshore epicentre. One driver is understood to have died after being struck by falling rocks at Daqingshui Tunnel in Xiulin Township, Hualien. Taiwan's strongest earthquake in a quarter century struck the island during the morning rush hour Wednesday. Taiwan's national fire agency said four people died in Hualien County in the quake that struck just before 8am.
The latest number coming out of Taiwan is there are a further 711 injured, and 77 trapped in Hualien.
Astonishing images shows huge buildings left teetering on their side in apocalyptic scenes.
Japan's Self Defense Force has sent aircraft to gather information about the tsunami impact around the Okinawa region and were preparing shelters for evacuees if necessary. Search and rescue operatons are underway to rescue at least one person trapped in rubble in Taiwan, but there are fears there could be more. Passengers were injured after roofs collapsed at Taoyuan Airport in Taipei, Taiwan.
Taiwan has issued a tsunami warning for coastal areas, after what was the biggest quake to hit the island in 25 years The tremor was felt as far as Shanghai, in neighbouring China, which is 500 miles to the north of the quake's epicentre. A wave of 30cm has reportedly reached nearby Yonaguni Island in Okinawa, Japan.
Japan is recalling flights due to the tsunami warning. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said there has been no report of injury or damage in Japan. He urged the residents in the Okinawa region to stay on high ground until all tsunami advisories are lifted. He cautioned people against disinformation and urged them to stay calm and assist others.
The earthquake was felt in Shanghai and several provinces along China's southeastern coast, according to Chinese media. China and Taiwan are about 160 kilometers (100 miles) apart. China issued no tsunami warnings for the Chinese mainland.
Residents of China's Fujian province reported violent shaking, according to Jimu News, an online outlet. One man told Jimu that the shaking awakened him and lasted about a minute.
Taipei, Taiwan Mayor Chiang Wan-an has ordered a level two disaster prevention operation. All train services in Taipei have been suspended after the massive earthquake detected near Hualien. Internet outages are being reported.
The quake is believed to be the biggest in Taiwan since a 7.7 magnitude temblor on September 21 1999 killed 2,400 people, injuring around 100,000 and destroying thousands of buildings. Taiwan lies along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," the line of seismic faults encircling the Pacific Ocean where most of the world's earthquakes occur.
In Hualien, a deadly quake in 2018 collapsed a historic hotel and other buildings.
Shocking footage posted on Twitter shows a building collapsing:
Wu Chien Fu, the director of Taipei's Seismology Centre, said in a briefing: "The earthquake is close to land and it's shallow. It's felt all over Taiwan and offshore islands...it's the strongest in 25 years.".
At least three people have been injured by falling debris in Hsinchu County. Meanwhile, Capital Taipei reports 250 incidents including two people seriously injured and 11 injured.
Footage from local media shows collapsed and damaged buildings after the massive morning earthquake. Reports are coming in that a 70-year-old building has collapsed with major damage in Keelung City, Taiwan. Landslides have thrown up huge clumps of dirt and dust.
The aftershocks are ongoing and there is a reported landslide on the eastern coast which has turned over roads; schools and offices have been closed; while metro and rail lines have been halted. A magnitude 4.4 earthquake has since been detected 11 km northeast of Hualian.
Schools evacuated their students to sports fields, equipping them with yellow safety helmets. Some also covered themselves with textbooks to guard against falling objects as aftershocks continued. Traffic along the east coast was at a virtual standstill, with landslides and falling debris hitting tunnels and highways in the mountainous region.
Authorities said they had only expected a relatively mild quake of magnitude 4 and accordingly did not send out alerts. Still, the earthquake was strong enough to scare people who are used to such shaking.
"Earthquakes are a common occurrence, and I've grown accustomed to them. But today was the first time I was scared to tears by an earthquake," Taipei resident Hsien-hsuen Keng said. "I was awakened by the earthquake. I had never felt such intense shaking before."
She said her fifth-floor apartment shook so hard that "apart from earthquake drills in elementary school, this was the first time I had experienced such a situation."
Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau held a press conference and revealed the earthquake struck off Taiwan’s eastern coast at 8am local time, at a depth 15.5 km. The entire island felt it.
The Philippines' weather agency has also told people who live in coastal areas to get ready to evacuate if needs be. High tsunami waves are expected in Philippine coastal areas by the Pacific Ocean.
US Tsunami Warning System report
The US Tsunami Warning System reports: "tsunami waves between 0.3 to 1 meters possible for Okinawa, Japan after magnitude 7.5 earthquake". [sic]
The full report from the US Tsunami Warning System reads: An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.5 occurred in Taiwan at 23.58 UTC on Tuesday, April 2, 2024. Based on all available data... hazardous tsunami waves are forecast for some coasts.
"Tsunami threat forecast...updated: tsunami waves reaching 1 to 3 meters above the tide level are possible along some coasts of China... and Taiwan.
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"Tsunami waves reaching 0.3 to 1 meters above the tide level are possible for some coasts of Japan.
"Tsunami waves are forecast to be less than 0.3 meters above the tide level for the coasts of Guam... Indonesia... Northern Marianas... Palau... Philippines... Republic of Korea... Vietnam... and Yap.
"Actual amplitudes at the coast may vary from forecast amplitudes due to uncertainties in the forecast and local features. In particular maximum tsunami amplitudes on atolls and at locations with fringing or barrier reefs will likely be much smaller than the forecast indicates.
"Recommended actions: government agencies responsible for threatened coastal areas should take action to inform and instruct any coastal populations at risk in accordance with their own evaluation... procedures and the level of threat.
"Persons located in threatened coastal areas should stay alert for information and follow instructions from national and local authorities.
"Estimated times of arrival: estimated times of arrival -eta- of the initial tsunami wave or places within threatened regions are given below. Actual arrival times may differ and the initial wave may not be the largest. A tsunami is a series of waves and the time between waves can be five minutes to one hour."
"Location region coordinates eta(utc):
Hualien Taiwan 24.0n 121.7e 0001 04/03
Taitung Taiwan 22.7n 121.2e 0017 04/03
Chilung Taiwan 25.2n 121.8e 0040 04/03
Kaohsiung Taiwan 22.5n 120.3e 0102 04/03
Okinawa Japan 26.2n 127.8e 0129 04/03
Homel Taiwan 24.2n 120.4e 0239 04/03
Wenzhou China 27.8n 121.2e 0329 04/03
Quanzhou China 24.8n 118.8e 0351 04/03
Hong Kong China 22.3n 114.2e 0441 04/03"
The US Tsunami Warning System report added that potential impacts included people drowning; being crushed by debris in the water or being swept out to sea.
It adds: "A tsunami is a series of waves. The time between wave crests can vary from 5 minutes to an hour. The hazard may persist for many hours or longer after the initial wave. Impacts can vary significantly from one section of coast to the next due to local bathymetry and the shape and elevation of the shoreline. Impacts can also vary depending upon the state of the tide at the time of the maximum tsunami waves.
"Persons caught in the water of a tsunami may drown... be crushed by debris in the water... or be swept out to sea.
"The next message will be issued in one hour... or sooner if the situation warrants." [sic]
Students have been evacuated to their school playground after a strong earthquake tremor was felt in Xiamen, Fujian, China.
Television showed buildings in the eastern city of Hualien shaken off their foundations. Islandwide train service was suspended, as was subway service in Taipei. The quake struck at 7:58 a.m. On the other side of the island from the capital, but was strong enough to knock items off shelves in the city.
Taiwan's earthquake monitoring agency gave the magnitude as 7.2 while the U.S. Geological Survey put it at 7.5. The depth was about 35 kilometers (21 miles).
The Japan Meteorological Agency forecast a tsunami of up to 3 metres (9.8 feet) for the southern Japanese island group of Okinawa. A wave of 30 centimeters (about 1 feet) was detected on the coast of Yonaguni island about 15 minutes after the quake struck. JAMA said waves likely also hit the coasts of Miyako and Yaeyama islands. Smaller waves were measured in Ishigaki and Miyako islands.
There are at least 78 damage reports across New Taipei City in Taiwan.
Damage reported
A search and rescue operation is underway for one person trapped in Zhonghe District, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
The Taiwan Power Company says the power network is stable, but eight plant units had to be shut down across the country. At least 87,000 houses are without power in Tawain and 25,000 in the Keelung City and Xizhi District areas of the country alone.9
A five-story building in lightly populated Hualien appeared heavily damaged, collapsing its first floor and leaving the rest leaning at a 45-degree angle. In the capital, Taipei, tiles fell from older buildings and within some newer office complexes.
Train service was suspended across the island of 23 million people, as was subway service in Taipei.
The head of Taiwan's earthquake monitoring bureau, Wu Chien-fu, said effects were detected as far away as Kinmen, a Taiwanese-controlled island off the coast of China. Multiple aftershocks were felt in Taipei in the hour after the initial quake.
The USGS said one of the subsequent quakes was 6.5 magnitude and 11.8 kilometers (7 miles) deep.
The Japan Meteorological Agency forecast a tsunami of up to 3 meters (9.8 feet) for the southern Japanese island group of Okinawa. A wave of 30 centimeters (about 1 feet) was detected on the coast of Yonaguni island about 15 minutes after the quake struck. JAMA said waves likely also hit the coasts of Miyako and Yaeyama islands.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no tsunami threat to Hawaii or the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam.
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