A powerful earthquake rattled southeastern Taiwan on Sunday, toppling at least three buildings in a small town and ripping apart roads, but forecasters said the threat of a regional tsunami had passed.
The earthquake occurred at 3.44 Argentine time about 50 kilometers north of the city of Taitung and at a depth of 10 kilometers, detailed the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
Its initial strength had been reported as magnitude 7.2 but the USGS later downgraded it to 6.9. Multiple aftershocks were also recorded.
The Japan Meteorological Agency and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued tsunami advisories shortly after the earthquake, but both later explained that there was no longer a threat of high waves.
In the Taiwanese city of Yuli collapsed a two-story building that had a 7-Eleven store downstairs.
Video footage released by Taiwan’s Central News Agency showed panicked residents fleeing the building, which raised a thick cloud of dust as it collapsed, the AFP news agency reported.
The Hualien fire department said four people who were trapped inside had been rescued.
Two other buildings in the city collapsed but were empty, the department added.
Two nearby bridges were also reported to have collapsed, while two others were damaged.
The Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) detailed that a train derailed at Dongli station in Hualien, after it was hit by concrete from a canopy that dislodged during the earthquake. The passengers were evacuated and there were no injuries, according to the same source.
Tremors were also felt in the capital Taipei and the southwestern city of Kaohsiung.
Junction between two tectonic plates
Taiwan and its surroundings are regularly affected by earthquakes due to its location near the junction between two tectonic plates.
The day before, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck the same region and several tremors occurred.
typhoon season
Typhoon season ends between August and September in Japanwith heavy rains likely to cause flooding and landslides.
In 2019, the typhoon Hagibis It caused more than 100 deaths in the country, which was hosting the Rugby World Cup at the time.
