Taiwan earthquake: 1 dead, 1 train derailed, tsunami warnings and collapsed buildings | International

During the early hours of this Sunday, September 18 (Chilean time), a magnitude 6.8 earthquake shook the Taitung area, southeast of the island of Taiwan. The telluric movement left the balance of at least one dead, tsunami alerts on the coast of Japan and other sectors and various collapsed buildings and collapses of houses.

An earthquake of magnitude 6.8 shook Taitung County, in southeastern Taiwan, on Sunday, September 18, which generated tsunami alerts on the coast of Japan and destroyed multiple homes on the island.

The telluric movement of this day comes after another 6.4 earthquake and several aftershocks hit the same area on Saturday.

Taiwan earthquake

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the area of ​​the island of Taiwan, according to the Central Meteorological Officewho reported that the earthquake occurred at a depth of 7 kilometers at 14:44 local time (3:44 in Chile).

The earthquake occurred 42 kilometers from the city of Taitung, which felt the magnitude 6 tremor, according to the island source.

Meanwhile, Taiwan sits at the confluence of the Philippine and Eurasian plates, so earthquakes are frequent on the island.

One dead and tsunami threat

After the earthquake registered this Sunday in Taiwan, the first reports reported at least one death, due to the fall of machinery in a cement factory, near the epicenter.

This, according to The Republicwhich also clarified that

Additionally, the Japan Meteorological Agency and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued tsunami warnings soon after, but both later explained that there was no longer a threat of high waves.

Landslides after earthquake in Taiwan

The earthquake was preceded by a series of tremors during the last hours, including one of 5.9 during the day on Saturday. Also, about ten aftershocks were recorded, including one of magnitude 5.4 on the open Richter scale.

The authorities called on the population to be alert to the danger of seismic activity, after the damage suffered by infrastructure and buildings, including the collapse of two bridges.

The Hualien County Disaster Response Center said it has rescued three people after a bridge collapse.

Meanwhile, firefighters rescued four other people from a collapsed building and some 400 tourists are being evacuated from Chike Mountain after power lines fell due to several landslides.

Also, more than 7,000 homes in Hualien were left without electricity due to the earthquake, while other cities, including Taipei, have suffered power cuts.

On the other hand, a train derailed in Hualien due to the earthquake, without any information on victims.

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