Taiwan Earthquake with 7.4 Magnitude Leads To Massive Damages in Structures
TAIWAN EARTHQUAKE – The recent 7.4 magnitude quake that caused buildings in Taiwan to collapse is the strongest in 25 years.
Earthquakes are among the natural events that can be hardly predicted in exact details. Thus, what most countries do is prepare and mitigate its possible effects once it happens. These are done through establishing building codes, earthquake drills among the people, and strengthening the emergency response agencies and teams of the nation.
Some quakes can be hardly felt while others were so strong that they lead to damages in structures and, worst, the loss of lives. Recently, Taiwan experienced a quake that is the strongest to have hit the country in 25 years.
A 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit Taiwan earlier today with its epicenter located about 18km (11 miles) south of Taiwan’s Hualien City as per the US Geological Survey (USGS). Some seismology agencies recorded the quake that was initially reported with a 7.5 magnitude to have a 7.2 magnitude.
The said strong quake triggered tsunami warnings in the Philippines, Taiwan, and Japan. It caused several buildings in Hualien to collapse and lean at precarious angles. Seismology officials said that the recent Taiwan earthquake is the strongest to have struck the country since 1999.
As per a report on BBC, TSMC, the Taiwanese chipmaking giant which is a major producer of several semiconductors technology giants like Nvidia and Apple, had evacuated some of its factories in Hsinchu and southern Taiwan for the safety of the workers.
Based on the report, in the mountaneous areas, the Taiwan quake has led to huge landslides. There were also reports about the collapse of residential buildings and the evacuation of people from homes and schools following the strong quake. As of this writing, the extent of the damages and impact of the quake is still unknown.
The quake was followed by several big aftershocks with at least four (4) magnitude. As of this writing, there are no records of casualties due to the quake. In 2018, an unfortunate collapse of historic hotels and other buildings also took place in Hualien which is the epicenter of the recent strong quake.
According to Wu Chien-fu, the head of the earthquake-monitoring bureau in the country, the effects were felt as far as Kinmen which is an island off coast China that is under the Taiwanese rule. Aside from the Philippines, Taiwan is another country that lies along the “Pacific Ring of Fire” where most quakes are believe to occur.
More updates may be posted soon…