Powerful earthquake shakes Taiwan

In the early hours this morning, a formidable earthquake measuring 7.5 Richter scale rocked the eastern shores of Taiwan, specifically Hualien.

The earthquake disrupted power supplies across the city and set off alarms for potential tsunamis in regions as far as southern Japan and the Philippines.

The quake, with a shallow depth of 15.5 kilometres, reached a maximum intensity of 6 on the seismic scale.

Following the initial quake, 13 consecutive aftershocks rattled the area, leaving residents across Taiwan in a state of ongoing fear and distress according to Nextapple News.

“The earthquake is close to land and it’s shallow. It’s felt all over Taiwan and offshore islands … it’s the strongest in 25 years since the (1999) earthquake,” director of Taipei’s Seismology Centre Wu Chien-fu told reporters.

The earthquake he mentioned, struck Taiwan in 1999 and resulted in the tragic loss of 2,400 lives.

According to the Malay Mail, the Taipei city government reported no damage, with the city’s MRT swiftly resuming operations.

Additionally, the Malaysian Meteorological Department, Bernama reported, assured that Malaysia faced no tsunami threat from the quake.

Other countries are concerned with the repercussions of the quake.

Warnings of potential tsunamis were issued in both Japan and the Philippines following the earthquake, CNA reported.

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