A strong earthquake of preliminary magnitude 7.5 struck off Taiwan on Wednesday morning, and Japan issued a tsunami alert for the southern Japanese island group of Okinawa.
Taiwan’s earthquake monitoring agency gave the magnitude as 7.2 while the US Geological Survey put it at 7.5.
Taiwanese television showed buildings in the eastern city of Hualien shaking off their foundations. The quake’s epicenter was located about 18 kilometers south of the city of Hualien.
The quake came at 7.58am (10.58 AEDT) and could be felt in the capital Taipei. It was felt also in Japan and China’s Fujian province.
The strong quake knocked out power in several parts of the city, according to a Reuters witness.
Japan issued an evacuation advisory for the coastal areas of the southern prefecture of Okinawa after the Taiwan quake triggered a tsunami warning.
Tsunami waves of up to 3 meters were expected to reach large areas of Japan’s south-western coast, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
A 30-centimeter tsunami reached Yonaguni Island at 9.18am (11.18am AEDT), JMA said.
