One person has been killed and over 50 injured after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit Taiwan’s east coast, Reuters reported citing Taiwan’s fire department on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, a tsunami warning issued for Miyakojima and Okinawa islands in Japan following a powerful earthquake in Taiwan has been downgraded from a warning to an advisory, CNN reported citing Japan’s Meteorological Agency.
The Philippines has issued a tsunami warning with people in the coastal areas across the provinces of Batanes Group of Islands, Cagayan, Ilocos Norte and Isabela have been “strongly advised to immediately evacuate to higher grounds or move further inland,” according to the advisory.
CNN reported that the coastal areas fronting the Pacific Ocean are expected to experience “high tsunami waves.” The first waves were forecast to hit from 8:33 a.m. local time until 10:33 a.m. on Wednesday (8:33 p.m. to 10:33 p.m. ET on Tuesday).
Owners of boats in harbours, estuaries, or shallow coastal water have also been asked to secure their boats and move away from the waterfront. Boats already out at sea should stay offshore in deep waters until further advised, the advisory said.
In the aftermath of a powerful earthquake that rocked Taiwan’s eastern shores on Wednesday, all flights to Japan’s Naha Airport on Okinawa island have been diverted, CNN reported citing the airport’s spokesperson.
As a precautionary measure to evade loss of life in anticipation of the tsunami’s impact, all staff and personnel have evacuated to the third floor of the airport building, the airport spokesperson, Hideaki Tsurudo told CNN, adding that no waves have reached the airport in the timeframe of the warning.
Additionally, all flights from Japan’s Okinawa and Kagoshima regions have been suspended following tsunami warnings in the area, according to Japan Airlines.
Flights that were headed to the areas with tsunami warnings have been turned back, it added.
The earthquake tremor in Taiwan triggered tsunami alerts in southern Japan.
The epicentre of the temblor was located in the Pacific Ocean, 25.0 kilometres south-southeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 15.5 km, according to the administration’s Seismology Center, Central News Agency reported.
An intensity level of 5+ was reported in Yilan County in the northeast and in Miaoli County in the north, while 5- was reported in Taipei City, New Taipei City, Taoyuan City and Hsinchu County in the north, Taichung City, Changhua County and Nantou County in central Taiwan, the Central Weather Agency said
The alert was prompted by an earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 7.5, occurring shortly before 9 am The Japan Meteorological Agency identified the earthquake’s epicenter near Taiwan, according to NHK.
Anticipated tsunami arrival times are projected for 9:30 a.m. in the Miyakojima-Yaeyama region and 10 am in the Okinawa main island region.
In response, the Japan Meteorological Agency sounded the alarm for Miyakojima and Okinawa islands, cautioning residents about imminent waves as high as 3 meters, NHK reported.