7 Killed, 736 Injured Following Taiwan Earthquake

Taipei, The death toll from the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck Taiwan on Wednesday rose to 7 people, while the number of injured reached 736, according to Taiwan's National Fire Agency. All the victims died in Hualien, a mountainous area on the east coast of Taiwan, close to the epicenter. Local officials said that the earthquake that struck the island was the strongest in decades, and they warned of the possibility of more tremors in the coming days. The US Geological Survey identified the epicenter of the earthquake at a distance of 18 km south of Hualien City, at a depth of 34.8 km. The earthquake led to warnings being issued in Japan, the Philippines, and Taiwan about the risk of a tsunami. However, Tokyo lowered the warning level to simple, while Manila canceled it completely. This is the strongest earthquake to hit the island since 1999, as the last 7.6-magnitude earthquake killed about 2,400 people, and completely and partially destroyed 50,000 buildings, Taiwan Central News Agency said So urce: Qatar News Agency