A massive 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit Taiwan’s eastern coast early Wednesday morning, triggering a tsunami advisory for the island along with southern Japan, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recorded.
The earthquake killed nine people and injured at least 900, The Wall Street Journal reported. Video footage posted to Twitter showed the chaotic aftermath of the massive natural disaster as some buildings could be seen ruined. In one post, a loud alarm could be heard in the background as a red building is shown leaning on its side with the main level appearing to be completely wiped out.
Another clip displays what appears to be a residential building ruined by the incident as the bottom level was wiped out as well. Motorcycles could be seen crushed underneath the building as people in the background were heard yelling and observing the space. A third clip shows the inside of a room as the earthquake hit, sending books and other items completely off of their shelves as the place is seen rocking back and forth. (RELATED: At Least 48 Dead After Massive Earthquakes Rock Japan)
BREAKING: Strong 7.4 magnitude earthquake strikes the Island of Taiwan, leading to multiple building collapses and observed tsunamis. Large and ongoing aftershocks have been recorded. pic.twitter.com/ipu0AVLzYs
— Breaking 4 News (@Breaking_4_News) April 3, 2024
While Taiwan’s earthquake monitoring agency gave the initial strike as a 7.2 magnitude the U.S. recorded it as a 7.4 magnitude quake that struck the island around 7:58 a.m. with a 21-mile depth, The Associated Press (AP) reported. Data from the USGS additionally showed that the quake’s epicenter was located roughly 11 miles south of the city of Hualien, however, tremors could be felt across the entire island, according to CNN Taipei staff.
A second quake was recorded shortly after by the USGS, hitting a 6.4 magnitude roughly 6.8 miles northeast of the city of Hualien.
Following the incident, the Japan Meteorological Agency initially issued a tsunami warning for the Miyakojima and Okinawa islands with waves possibly hitting up to 10 feet high, however, the agency has since downgraded to an advisory with waves potentially hitting roughly 3 feet. Video footage posted online allegedly showed ocean water levels rapidly dropping in Nago, Okinawa with people reportedly being evacuated from the shoreline.
🚨#BREAKING: Reports of water levels are dropping rapidly due to a possible tsunami⁰⁰📌#Nago | #Japan ⁰⁰Reports from Nago, Okinawa, indicate that ocean water levels are rapidly dropping due to the tsunami threat. Numerous people are being evacuated from the shoreline as a… pic.twitter.com/AXJOYF5qev
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) April 3, 2024
Within Taiwan’s capital, Taipei, things have reportedly returned to normal as the subway service was briefly paused across the island of 23 million people, according to The AP. Additionally, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center confirmed that there is no current tsunami threat to the west coast area of the United States.
The earthquake is believed to be one of Taiwan’s largest quakes since 1999, which was recorded as at a 7.7 magnitude, just south of Taipei, that killed 2,400 people and injured 10,000, according to CNN.