Taipei, Four people were killed and 97 others were injured after a powerful earthquake rocked Taiwan on Wednesday morning.
According to the Central Meteorological Administration of Taiwan, the 7.2 magnitude quake struck at a depth of 15.5 kilometers. Its epicenter was 25 kilometers southeast of Taiwan’s Hualien City. The Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA) estimated the magnitude of the quake at 7.5, while the US Geological Survey said the earthquake measured 7.4 magnitude.
The quake was also felt in southern Japan, eastern China and the Philippines, and prompted tsunami warnings that extended to Japan and the Philippines before being lifted.
Officials said the quake was the strongest to shake the island in decades, and warned of more tremors in the days ahead.
Taiwan is regularly hit by earthquakes as the island lies near the junction of two tectonic plates.
Wednesdays earthquake was the strongest since a 7.6-magnitude struck in September 1999, killing around 2,400 people in the deadliest natural disas
ter in the island’s history.
Source: Qatar News Agency