7 Dead, 730 Injured so far…
On Wednesday, 03 April 2024, at least seven people were killed and 730 injured by a strong earthquake in Taiwan.
It damaged dozens of buildings and prompted tsunami warnings that extended to Japan and the Philippines before being lifted.
Officials said the earthquake was the strongest to shake the island, and warned of more tremors in the next few days.
"The earthquake is close to land. It's felt all over Taiwan and offshore islands," said Wu Chien-fu, director of Taipei's Central Weather Administration's Seismology Center.
Strict building regulations and disaster awareness appear to have staved off a major catastrophe for the island, which is regularly hit by earthquakes as it lies near the junction of two tectonic plates.
Wu said the quake was the strongest since a 7.6-magnitude struck in September 1999, killing around 2,400 people in the deadliest natural disaster in the island's history.
Wednesday's magnitude-7.4 quake struck just before 8:00 am local time, with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) putting the epicenter 18 kilometers (11 miles) south of Taiwan's Hualien City, at a depth of 34.8 kilometers.
Three people among a group of seven on a morning hike through the hills that surround the city were crushed to death by boulders loosened by the earthquake, officials informed.
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