Taipei, Taiwan
CNN
—
Taiwan was hit by its strongest earthquake in 25 years on Wednesday, with a magnitude 7.4 tremor rocking the island's east coast, collapsing multiple buildings, triggering landslides and killing at least four people.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck at 7:58 a.m. local time, 18 kilometers (11 miles) south of Hualien City and at a depth of 34.8 kilometers (21 miles). Afterwards, several strong aftershocks occurred, and the shaking was felt across the island, including by CNN staff in Taipei.
Taiwan's National Fire and Disaster Management Agency announced that at least four people were killed and 57 injured in the earthquake. The fatal accident occurred in Hualien County, and a climber was among those killed. The NFA said authorities were still gathering information on casualties.
Taiwanese officials said there were reports of extensive damage in Hualien County, with people trapped in collapsed buildings and power out to thousands of homes, and major highways along the east coast closed due to landslides and falling rocks. is also appearing.
A spokesperson for Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau warned that strong aftershocks of around magnitude 7 are expected to occur through the weekend.
The quake triggered early tsunami warnings in Taiwan, southern Japan and the Philippines, waves were measured at less than half a meter on some beaches, and airlines suspended operations. However, all tsunami warnings have since been lifted.
According to the Ministry of Defense, aftershocks occurred in Taiwan, and military personnel were dispatched for disaster relief, and schools and workplaces ceased operations.
Outgoing Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said on Wednesday that she had instructed her government to “immediately” “understand the situation and assess the local impact as soon as possible.”
Tsai also called on the administration to “provide necessary support and work with local governments to minimize the impact of the disaster.”
Taiwan is regularly hit by earthquakes, as it is located on the Pacific Rim of Volcano, which runs along the edge of the Pacific Ocean and causes large-scale earthquakes and volcanic activity from Indonesia to Chile.
Wednesday's earthquake was the strongest to hit Taiwan since 1999, according to the Central Weather Bureau. The powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck 93 miles (150 kilometers) south of Taipei, killing 2,400 people and injuring 10,000 others.
At least 26 buildings collapsed in Wednesday's earthquake, 15 of them in Hualien County, Taiwan's Central Emergency Command Center (CEOC) said.
CEOC added that there were reports of people trapped in seven of the buildings.
More than 91,000 households are without power, and the island's government-run Taiwan Power Company is working to resolve the issue, CEOC said.
Footage posted on social media showed several collapsed buildings in Hualien City and residents rescuing trapped people from the windows of damaged apartment blocks.
The quake occurred during the morning rush hour, and footage showed cars bouncing on violently shaking highways, overpasses in Taipei shaking, and commuters trying to stand up on shaking Taipei subway trains. Ta.
Meanwhile, footage broadcast by CNN affiliate TVBS showed cellphone and security camera footage of the moment the quake struck homes and businesses across the island. One clip showed power lines swinging wildly on a street, while another showed a chandelier swinging in a restaurant.
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TVBS footage showed Suhua Highway along Taiwan's east coast strewn with large rocks and several tunnels broken, one of which was split in half. CNN affiliate SET News shows the front of the car hit by a falling rock.
The Eastern District Maintenance Engineering Branch of the Highway Bureau has recorded at least nine rockfalls and landslides in the Suhua Road corridor of Provincial Highway 9, which has been closed to traffic.
Another expressway connecting the west coast and eastern Taiwan was also damaged by falling rocks, causing at least 12 cars to collide and nine people being injured, TVBS reported.
Hualien County, near the epicenter, has a population of about 300,000 people and is also close to Taroko Gorge, a popular tourist destination. In 2018, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck near Hualien, killing at least 17 people and injuring more than 300.
TVBS/AP
A building that was partially destroyed by the earthquake that occurred in Hualien, eastern Taiwan, on April 3, 2024.
The quake prompted authorities to order evacuations and a tsunami warning for the entire region.
In Chengcheng, Taiwan, about 100 kilometers south of the epicenter, the tsunami reached a height of almost half a meter. The island's Central Meteorological Bureau issued a warning advising residents to evacuate to higher ground.
The Japan Meteorological Agency also issued a tsunami warning for southern Miyako Island and the Okinawa Islands, warning of waves up to 3 meters (nearly 10 feet) high. According to the agency, waves of 30 centimeters (almost a foot) affected Okinawa, making it the first tsunami observed in Okinawa in 26 years.
Kyodo News/AP
People evacuate to higher ground in Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture after receiving a tsunami warning due to the massive earthquake that occurred in Taiwan on April 3, 2024.
Hours later, the U.S. Tsunami Warning Center announced that the tsunami threat was “mostly over,” but that people in coastal areas should remain vigilant.
According to Japan Airlines, all flights from Okinawa and Kagoshima prefectures have been suspended following a tsunami warning in the area.
After the tsunami warning was downgraded to a advisory, flights to and from Okinawa's Naha Airport have resumed, airport spokesman Hideaki Tsuruto told CNN.
This is a developing story and will be updated.