Tsunami warning issued for Japan’s Okinawa after 7.5 magnitude earthquake
Okinawa. "Tsunami waves of up to 3 meters were expected to reach large areas of Japan's southwestern coast," according to the Japan Meteorological Agency, which put the quake magnitude at 7.5, as per Reuters report. Additionally, a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 struck offshore Taiwan on the same day, shaking the capital city of Taipei and prompting tsunami warnings for the islands of southern Japan and the Philippines.
The tremors knocked out power in several parts of Taipei, and Taiwan television stations showed footage of collapsed buildings in Hualien, near the quake's epicentre. Reports suggest that some people may be trapped under the debris. "The epicentre was just off the coast of the eastern county of Hualien, in waters off the eastern coastline of Taiwan Island," the Taiwan Central Weather Administration said, as quoted by Reuters.
The quake's impact was felt as far as Shanghai, according to a Reuters witness. The Philippines Seismology Agency also issued a warning for residents in coastal areas of several provinces, urging them to evacuate to higher ground. The quake was also felt in Fuzhou, Xiamen, Quanzhou, and Ningde in China's Fujian province, as reported by Chinese state media.
In Taipei, the city government stated that it "has not received any reports of damage," and the city's MRT (mass rapid transit) system was "up and running soon after." Additionally, the Southern Taiwan Science Park, where semiconductor giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. has a plant, said that "companies were operating without impact." As rescue efforts continue, authorities are assessing the extent of the damage caused by this powerful earthquake and the potential risk of tsunamis in the region. (With Inputs
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