Beijing: A powerful 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck the sea area near Hualien, Taiwan at 7:58 a.m. Wednesday (Beijing Time), as reported by the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC). Following the seismic activity, a red alert for tsunami was promptly issued.
The epicenter of the earthquake was pinpointed at 23.81 degrees north latitude and 121.74 degrees east longitude, with a depth of 12 km, according to CENC’s report.
Reports from local media indicated significant tremors felt across various parts of Taiwan, leading to the suspension of Taipei’s metro operations.
Taiwan’s meteorological agency corroborated the seismic event, citing a 7.2-magnitude earthquake at 7:58 a.m. Wednesday, with a depth of 15.5 km. The epicenter was noted 25 km south-southeast of the Hualien county government, with a maximum intensity of 6 magnitude recorded in Hualien County, as per Xinhua news agency.
Subsequent to the initial quake, aftershocks ensued, with CENC documenting two subsequent quakes measuring 6.0 and 5.9 magnitudes within approximately 40 minutes, with epicenters located in nearby areas.