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Taiwan experienced a significant earthquake on Wednesday morning, the most powerful in 25 years, disrupting normal life on the island.
The quake caused structural damage to buildings and triggered a tsunami that reached southern Japanese islands, but fortunately, there have been no immediate reports of casualties.
The epicenter of the quake was near Hualien, a city on Taiwan's southeastern coast. A five-story building in Hualien partially collapsed, with its first floor caving in and the rest of the structure tilting at a 45-degree angle.
In Taipei, older buildings lost tiles, and debris fell from some construction sites. Schools quickly evacuated students to open spaces, providing them with yellow safety helmets for protection against aftershocks.
Public transportation across the island was halted, including train services and parts of the subway in Taipei, where a new above-ground line suffered partial separation. Even the national legislature, a historic building dating back to before World War II, sustained damage to its walls and ceilings.
The earthquake caused chaos on the east coast, with traffic coming to a standstill due to landslides and falling debris on tunnels and highways in the mountainous region. While there were reports of damage to vehicles, it remains unclear if there were any injuries.
Despite the quake hitting during the morning rush hour, initial panic subsided quickly, as Taiwan is accustomed to seismic activity and conducts regular drills in schools and disseminates public notices via various media channels and mobile phones.
However, the intensity of this quake was unsettling even for those accustomed to such events.
A resident of Taipei described it as a frightening experience, saying, "Earthquakes are common, and I've grown used to them. But today, for the first time, I was scared to tears by an earthquake.
The shaking was so intense that I was awakened by it.
It was unlike anything I've ever felt before."
As of now, there are no reports of casualties from the epicenter near Hualien. In 2018, a deadly quake in the same area collapsed a historic hotel and other buildings.
Taiwan's most devastating quake in recent history occurred on September 21, 1999, with a magnitude of 7.7, resulting in 2,400 deaths, around 100,000 injuries, and the destruction of thousands of buildings.
Following the quake, the Japan Meteorological Agency reported a tsunami wave of approximately 30 centimeters hitting the coast of Yonaguni island about 15 minutes later. Smaller waves were also observed in Ishigaki and Miyako islands. Japan dispatched military aircraft to assess the impact in the Okinawa region.
The quake's effects were felt as far as Shanghai and several provinces along China's southeastern coast. Despite being about 160 kilometers apart, there were no tsunami warnings issued for the Chinese mainland.
Residents of China's Fujian province reported strong shaking, with one individual stating that the shaking woke him up and lasted about a minute.
In the Philippines, residents along the northern coast were advised to evacuate to higher ground. However, no major tsunami was reported approximately three hours after the quake.
Villagers in several provinces were instructed not to return home until the tsunami alert was lifted, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.
In Japan, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi stated that there were no reports of injuries or damage.
He urged residents in the Okinawa region to remain on high ground until all tsunami advisories were lifted, cautioning against misinformation and encouraging people to remain calm and help others.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center confirmed that there was no tsunami threat to Hawaii or the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam. Approximately three hours after the earthquake, it announced that the threat had largely passed for all areas, with waves reported only in Taiwan and southern Japan.
Taiwan is located along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," a region where a large number of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur in the basin of the Pacific Ocean.