According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), just 13 minutes after the 7.4 magnitude earthquake with the epicenter only 18 km from the city of Hualien, Taiwan-China, causing severe damage to this city and tsunami warnings reaching Japan, the Philippines, another strong earthquake of magnitude 6.4 occurred, with the epicenter only 11 km from Hualien.
Classified according to the DYI scale - which indicates the intensity of the earthquake felt by people on the ground, often related to the level of destruction - the USGS classified these two earthquakes as level IX (strong) and XVIII (moderately strong), respectively. Level X is the highest on this scale.
Images captured by AP and Reuters in Hualien City show many high-rise buildings collapsed. Local authorities reported that many residents were trapped in these buildings.
According to The Guardian, more than 87,000 households on the island of Taiwan are currently without electricity, and internet outages have also been reported.
Meanwhile, a Guardian reporter from Taipei described: "Plaster falling off the outside of old houses, water towers cracked, glass and debris shattered." The reporter also noted that aftershocks continuously affected the area from 8-9 a.m. (local time).
At 8 a.m. (local time), residents of Taipei received a tsunami warning from the government on their phones. The tsunami could affect coastal areas at 9:59 a.m.
Japan lowers tsunami warningAccording to The Guardian, the tsunami hitting Japan after the earthquake near Taiwan (China) was not as high as initially forecasted.
Therefore, the Japan Meteorological Agency has lowered the warning level but still advises people to continue evacuating until the warning is completely lifted.
NHK reported that some residents on Okinawa Island evacuated to nearby US military bases, while others fled to higher ground in Naha, the capital of Okinawa.
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