Taiwan hit by strongest earthquake in 25 years; at least 9 dead, hundreds injured
Taiwan suffered a 7.4 magnitude earthquake on Wednesday, the strongest to hit the East Asian nation in 25 years, resulting in at least nine confirmed deaths, hundreds of injuries and the destruction of several buildings.
The earthquake struck Taiwan's east coast near Hualien, about 200 miles south of Taipei, around 8 a.m. local time on Wednesday. Several aftershocks were felt all over the island, measuring up to 6.5 magnitude, according to the United States Geological Survey.
At least 900 people were injured and nine killed, according to Taiwan's National Fire Agency.
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Scores of people are trapped in the highway tunnels in Hualien County.
According to a USGS tectonic summary, Wednesday's earthquake was the "result of reverse faulting near the boundary between the Eurasia and Philippine Sea plates."
Taiwan President-elect Lai Ching-te, the current vice president, visited the devastated area, saying in a statement that "currently, the most important thing, the top priority, is to rescue people."
"Rescuing them is of utmost priority," he added, as reported and translated by The Washington Post. "We need to find out how many people are still trapped and rescue them as soon as we can."
"Those injured should be given quality medical treatment, so they can recover quickly. … [We are aiming for] two-way traffic to resume by tomorrow evening. As for the water and power supply, those will be restored quickly."
Lai tweeted that efforts were "in full swing to address the aftermath of today's earthquake."
"The outpouring of global support is uplifting & deeply appreciated, as are the endeavors of our brave responders. My thoughts are with all affected as we work to recover & rebuild," he continued.
In the last 50 years, six other magnitude 7 or greater earthquakes have occurred within 160 miles of Wednesday's earthquake, according to USGS.
"The largest of these was an M 7.7 earthquake in September 1999 (the Chi-Chi earthquake) that resulted in at least 2,297 fatalities, caused damage estimated at $14 billion, and occurred 59 km east of the April 2, 2024, event," the U.S. agency noted.
"In 1920, a magnitude 8.2 earthquake, potentially associated with the subduction zone interface between the Philippine Sea and Eurasia plates, occurred immediately east of the April 2 earthquake."
Japan, which lies across the East China Sea from Taiwan, issued an evacuation advisory for the coastal areas of Okinawa, a southern prefecture, as a tsunami is expected to hit as a result of the quake.
The Japan Meteorological Agency warned that tsunami waves of up to three meters (or around 10 feet) were expected to strike large sections of Japan's southwestern coast, reported Reuters.
Japan experienced its worst earthquake in several years on New Year's Day, when a 7.6 magnitude quake hit its Ishikawa prefecture, killing approximately 230 people and damaging or destroying over 44,000 homes.
