 |
| Foto:Apartement Taiwan |
VISTORBELITUNG.COM,YILAN, TAIWAN — A powerful and shallow earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.0 on the Richter scale rocked northeastern Taiwan at 23:05 local time, with its epicenter located 32.3 km east of Yilan County at a depth of 72 km, according to the Central Weather Bureau (CWB). The violent tremor, felt across the entire island and as far as coastal China, has caused widespread power outages, building damage, and triggered immediate tsunami warnings for Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines.
The quake,described by residents in Taipei as one of the most prolonged and intense in recent memory, caused buildings to sway violently for over a minute. Initial reports from Yilan and surrounding areas indicate partial collapses of older structures, severed roads, and landslides in mountainous regions. Fire and rescue departments are on high alert, with emergency response teams mobilized to assess damage and conduct evacuations in coastal areas.
"People rushed out into the streets. The shaking was terrifying things were falling off shelves and walls," said an eyewitness in Taipei via social media.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) issued a tsunami threat message for coasts within 300 km of the epicenter. Japanese authorities have issued a tsunami advisory for the southern Miyako and Yaeyama islands, forecasting waves of up to 1 meter. The Philippines' seismology agency also warned coastal communities to evacuate immediately.
Taiwan's high-speed rail service(THSR) has been suspended for safety inspections. Metro systems in Taipei and Taoyuan halted operations briefly. Over 100,000 households are reported to be without power, primarily in Yilan and New Taipei City. Taiwan's two nuclear power plants are reported to be operating normally with no abnormalities detected so far, according to Taipower.
Taiwan lies on the volatile Pacific"Ring of Fire," where tectonic plates collide. The earthquake's epicenter is near the junction of the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian Plate, a region prone to significant seismic activity. The 72 km depth classifies it as an intermediate-depth quake, which can often be felt over a wider area.
The tremor was strongly felt in China's Fujian province,Shanghai, and even parts of Zhejiang. Global leaders and seismology institutes are closely monitoring the situation. This event comes at a time of heightened geopolitical focus on Taiwan and underscores the island's vulnerability to natural disasters.
Aftershocks,some potentially strong, are expected in the coming days. The focus remains on search and rescue, damage assessment, and ensuring the safety of residents in tsunami-prone zones. The full extent of damage and any potential casualties are still being determined as communication lines are restored in the hardest-hit areas.
This is a developing news Updates will follow as more information becomes available from official sources in Taiwan and regional monitoring agencies.