Taiwan is exposed to the strongest earthquake in 25 years and a tsunami warning is issued

A 7.2-magnitude earthquake shook Taiwan, causing buildings to shake from their foundations, cutting off electricity in some areas, and issuing a warning of the occurrence of tsunami waves on the islands of southern Japan and the Philippines. This is the strongest earthquake to hit the island in 25 years. Taiwanese television stations showed footage of buildings leaning heavily in the sparsely populated county of Hualien in the east of the country, near the epicenter. Local media reported that some people were trapped, while the fire department reported that one person was killed and more than 50 injured. The Central Weather Administration in Taiwan said that the earthquake occurred at dawn on Wednesday at a depth of 15.5 kilometers off the island's eastern coast. The Japan Meteorological Agency said that a small tsunami had reached parts of southern Okinawa Prefecture, and later downgraded the previous tsunami warning to an advisory, and revised the earthquake's strength to 7.7 degrees. The Philippine S eismological Agency also issued a warning to residents in coastal areas in several provinces, urging them to evacuate to higher areas. The Chinese Earthquake Networks Center recorded five aftershocks with a magnitude of about 5 in Taiwan within an hour after the initial earthquake. Source: National Iraqi News Agency