TAIPEI — A 7.5 magnitude earthquake, followed by several strong aftershocks, struck off the east coast of Taiwan Wednesday morning, prompting tsunami warnings in Taiwan and Japan.
The earthquake, which the US Geological Survey said measured 7.5 in magnitude, hit about 25 kilometers south of Hualien county just before 8 am local time, according to Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration. It was felt in parts of Japan and China too.
In Taiwan, officials issued a tsunami warning for the southeastern and southwestern parts of the island. The quake left commuters stranded in train cars as the high speed rail and metro system were paused. Authorities sent an alert to residents that they should seek cover nearby, crouch down and “stay clam.”
Japanese officials warned residents in the southwestern Okinawa island chain to evacuate to higher ground.
On Yonaguni, one of the Okinawa islands, an 11-inch tall tsunami hit 20 minutes after the initial quake, and officials expect more tsunamis to continue and become more intense.
The initial tsunamis from a major Japanese earthquake in March 2011 similarly began at a few dozen inches and grew to over 30 feet, leading to a nuclear meltdown and triggering one of the biggest nuclear disasters in history.
A tsunami as high as 10 feet is may hit the main Okinawa island, local officials warned.
Inuma reported from Tokyo.
