The United States Geological Survey pinpointed the epicenter approximately 11 miles from Hualien City, Taiwan, unleashing a force that was felt across the entire island and resulted in substantial structural damage, including collapsed buildings.
A series of aftershocks followed the initial tremor, with a notable 6.5-magnitude earthquake adding to the turmoil shortly afterwards. The U.S. Tsunami Warning System promptly issued alerts, warning of potential hazardous tsunami waves for coasts within a 300 km radius of the epicentre, potentially affecting China, Taiwan, and Japan.
In response, Japan issued a tsunami alert for its southern island group of Okinawa, forecasting waves up to 3 meters (approximately 9.8 feet) and reporting the arrival of the first wave on the coasts of Miyako and Yaeyama islands within the hour.
In a revision of the quake’s magnitude, Taiwan’s earthquake monitoring agency reported a magnitude of 7.2, contrasting with the USGS’s initial figure of 7.5 before settling on 7.4. This discrepancy highlights the challenges in accurately measuring the strength of such significant seismic events.
Images from Hualien, on the east coast of Taiwan close to the epicentre, showed a large glass-fronted building partially collapsed onto its front
Taiwan, situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, is no stranger to seismic activities, with a history marked by devastating earthquakes. The island experienced a tragic event in 1999 when a major quake claimed 2,400 lives. More recently, in 2018, a 6.2 magnitude quake near Hualien resulted in 17 deaths and over 300 injuries. Hualien County, with a population of about 300,000, is near the Taroko Gorge, a famed tourist spot, highlighting the potential for significant human and economic tolls from such natural disasters.
