Strong earthquake strikes Taiwan

TAIPEI, Taiwan — A powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Taiwan on Wednesday morning, prompting nearby Japan to issue a tsunami warning and causing tremors that were felt across the region.

The quake was centered in the waters off the county of Hualien, on Taiwan’s east coast, according to the United States Geological Survey. Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration also recorded an aftershock of magnitude 6.5.

Tremors could be felt across Taiwan, the island’s media reported. In the capital Taipei, buildings shook for over a minute from the main quake. The quake’s epicenter was about 10 miles under the Earth’s surface, according to Taiwan. It caused at least nine landslides across the Suhua Highway in Hualien, reports said.

In Japan, according to the broadcaster NHK, tsunami waves as high as 30 centimeters (about 1 foot) had already started hitting the shore on Yonaguni Island at 9:14 a.m. local time.

Residents on Okinawa, Miyako and Yaeyama islands in southern Japan were told to get as far away from coastal areas as possible. According to NHK, the tsunamis were expected to hit the islands shortly after 10 a.m., with waves as high as 3 meters (10 feet) on Miyako and Yaeyama.

People in China took to social media saying they felt the tremors as far as away as Hangzhou, Xiamen, and Shanghai.