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Video shows what happened when a man was swimming during the massive earthquake
01:43 – Source: CNN
- At least nine people have died after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck the east coast of Taiwan on Wednesday, the strongest in 25 years.
- Rescuers are working to free dozens trapped after the quake caused landslides and collapsed structures. More than 900 others are injured and over 100 buildings have been damaged, according to authorities.
- The quake was followed by strong aftershocks, including a 6.5 magnitude tremor. Multiple aftershocks as strong as magnitude 7 are expected in the coming days.
- Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines have all canceled tsunami warnings issued after the quake hit.
- The epicenter, Hualien County, is home to around 300,000 of the 23 million people who live in Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy with an outsized impact on global business and trade.
Rescue workers stand near the site of a leaning building in the aftermath of an earthquake in Hualien, Taiwan, on April 3.
Rescuers are working to free dozens trapped after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck the east coast of Taiwan — causing landslides and collapsed structures.
At least nine people have died, more than 900 others are injured and over 100 buildings have been damaged.
The quake is the strongest to hit Taiwan in 25 years.
Here’s what else we know:
- The quake: The earthquake hit at 7:58 a.m. local time, 18 kilometers (11 miles) south of the city of Hualien at a depth of 34.8 kilometers, according to the US Geological Survey.
- Aftershocks: The quake was followed by 29 aftershocks greater than a magnitude of 4.0 near the epicenter of the earthquake in east Taiwan so far, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Tremors have been felt across the island, including in Taipei. Tremors as high as magnitude 7 are expected in the following days.
- Hualien County: The region where the quake struck, Hualien County, has a population of about 300,000, around 100,000 of whom live in the main city of Hualien. But many in the region live in remote coastal or mountain communities that can be hard to reach, so it might take time to understand the extent of Wednesday’s quake.
- Trapped miners: Taiwan’s national fire agency said that 71 people are trapped in two mines in Hualien.
- Power cuts: More than 91,000 households were without electricity, according to Taiwan’s Central Emergency Command Center.
- Medical facilities: Hospitals across Taiwan’s capital, Taipei City, are operating normally despite being damaged by Wednesday’s earthquake, according to the Municipal Government.
- US monitoring: The Biden administration is monitoring the earthquake in Taiwan overnight and is prepared to offer assistance, a National Security Council spokesperson said Wednesday.
Taiwan’s national fire agency said that 71 people are trapped in two mines in Hualien after a powerful earthquake struck the island.
In the Heping mine, there are 64 people trapped, and seven more are trapped in the Zhonghe mine, the fire agency said in a news conference on Wednesday.
When a magnitude of 7.4 earthquake rocked Taiwan on Wednesday, it struck during the morning commute.
Video shows highway roads shaking and even a man being heavily swayed and rocked on a rooftop pool.
Watch the moment here:
d7abef39-ebba-4fcd-8569-2fb87b6754d9.mp4
01:43 – Source: cnn
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSMC), the chipmaking giant, said on Wednesday that its facilities which were impacted by the 7.4 magnitude earthquake are expected to resume production overnight.
TSMC reported that their overall tool recovery is at more than 70% within 10 hours of the earthquake striking the island. Safety systems are also operating normally, TSMC added.
The company noted that a small number of tools were damaged but that there was no damage to its extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) tools. Work at construction sites will resume after further inspections are complete, TSMC said.
Earlier, a TSMC spokesperson told CNN they had evacuated some manufacturing plants. All personnel are now safe, TSMC said in an update.
The Biden administration is monitoring the earthquake in Taiwan overnight and is prepared to offer assistance, a National Security Council spokesperson said Wednesday.
The 7.4 magnitude earthquake that killed at least nine people and injured hundreds Wednesday, is the strongest to hit Taiwan in 25 years.
Over the last 50 years, the island has experienced a total of seven major earthquakes, the last being a 7.1 magnitude quake in 2006 in Pingtung County in southern Taiwan.
The island sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, which makes it prone to earthquakes.
See a full list of the earthquakes that have hit Taiwan:
There have been 29 aftershocks greater than a magnitude of 4.0 near the epicenter of the earthquake in east Taiwan so far, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
Of these aftershocks:
- One was above 6.0
- 13 have been at or above 5.0
- 14 have been above 4.0.
Forecast during recovery efforts: Tonight’s forecast in Hualien City, near the epicenter, calls for increasing cloud coverage. Thursday is looking at mostly cloudy skies with afternoon showers and rain Thursday night and Friday during the day.
Rainfall totals should be relatively light for Taiwan, with models calling for under 25 mm (less than 1 inch) by Friday evening local time.
A dashcam camera has caught the moment a large landslide came down a mountain in Taiwan, triggered by a 7.4 magnitude earthquake on Wednesday morning.
The quake is the strongest to have rattled the island in 25 years, killing at least nine people and leaving more than 150 trapped.
d31f2d08-cf34-4dba-a145-fbdba907c540.mp4
00:30 – Source: cnn
The number of injuries from the earthquake that struck Taiwan on Wednesday has risen to 934, according to Taiwan’s National Fire Agency (NFA). The death toll remains at nine people.
The NFA did not indicate the severity of the injuries.
Seventy-five people stranded in various tunnels in Hualien County have all been rescued by emergency responders. As of 7 a.m. ET, 137 people remain trapped.
A vehicle in a collapsed road following an earthquake in New Taipei City, Taiwan, on April 3.
The death toll due to an earthquake that struck Taiwan on Wednesday has risen to nine, while 882 people have been injured, according to Taiwan’s National Fire Agency (NFA).
The NFA did not indicate the severity of the injuries.
Dozens trapped: 131 people are currently trapped, including 50 employees of the Silks Place Hotel Taroko, who were traveling in four minibuses. Authorities have been unable to reach them by phone, and have listed them as trapped for the time being.
Two German citizens who were trapped earlier in a tunnel in Hualien County have been rescued, the NFA added.
Hospitals across Taiwan’s capital, Taipei City, are operating normally despite being damaged by Wednesday’s earthquake, according to the Municipal Government.
At least seven hospitals in the city are reported to have suffered some structural damage including “fallen tiles, partially fallen ceilings, cracks in the wall and electricity outage,” according to a government statement.
It said only one hospital was still offline following the quake.
A building in Hualien County, Taiwan, partially collapsed after a powerful earthquake rocked the island on April 3.
At least seven people have died after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck Taiwan on Wednesday.
About 77 are trapped or stranded, including four foreign nationals.
About 60 of those are trapped in the Jinwen Tunnel in northern Hualien County, Taiwan’s National Fire Agency (NFA) said.
Another 15 are trapped in the Dachingshui Tunnel, and two German nationals are trapped in a third tunnel.
If you’re just joining our coverage, here’s what we know:
- The quake: The earthquake hit at 7:58 a.m. local time, 18 kilometers (11 miles) south of the city of Hualien at a depth of 34.8 kilometers, according to the US Geological Survey.
- Casualties: At least seven people have died in the earthquake. Of them, three were hiking when the quake struck.
- Structural damage: More than 100 buildings have been damaged, according to the National Fire Agency (NFA). Pictures show buildings tilted to one side, and collapsed onto the ground. About half of the damaged buildings are in Hualien County, the epicenter of the earthquake.
- Aftershocks: The quake was followed by several strong aftershocks, with tremors felt across the island, including in Taipei. Tremors as high as magnitude 7 are expected in the following days.
- Hualien County: The region where the quake struck, Hualien County, has a population of about 300,000, around 100,000 of whom live in the main city of Hualien. But many in the region live in remote coastal or mountain communities that can be hard to reach, so it might take time to understand the extent of Wednesday’s quake.
- Power cuts: More than 91,000 households were without electricity, according to Taiwan’s Central Emergency Command Center.
- Tsunami warnings: Tsunami warnings were issued across Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines in the wake of the earthquake, but have since been lifted. The warnings prompted airlines and airports to suspend flights.
About 60 of the approximately 77 people trapped after an earthquake struck Taiwan Wednesday are caught in the Jinwen Tunnel in northern Hualien County, Taiwan’s National Fire Agency (NFA) said.
Separately, 15 people are trapped in the Dachingshui Tunnel, also in northern Hualien County, NFA said, adding that two German nationals were trapped in a third tunnel.
At least seven people have died in the 7.4 magnitude quake.
Some background: The 400-meter Jinwen Tunnel is one of more than a dozen that thread the Suhua Highway, a treacherous and narrow road that runs for 118 kilometers (73 miles) along Taiwan’s eastern coast.
Winding along cliffs high above the Pacific Ocean, it is one of Taiwan’s most dangerous — yet most scenic — drives.
The highway, which connects Hualien with the north of Taiwan, has been closed after it suffered severe damage from landslides and fallen rocks in the quake.
Measuring earthquakes is no easy task, given they strike suddenly and sometimes on a global scale.
When the Earth’s crust shifts abruptly, an earthquake occurs, with energy radiated out as seismic waves and shaking that’s sometimes experienced by people, buildings and infrastructure.
Seismic waves and factors related to the shifting ground determine an earthquake’s magnitude, as measured through 10 on the scale most commonly used to describe quakes.
How strong the shaking feels is an earthquake’s intensity, as measured on a scale that uses Roman numerals to assign categories based on assessed damage and people’s observations.
A damaged building in Hualien, after a major earthquake hit Taiwan’s east, on April 3.
Taiwan is a self-ruled democracy of about 23 million people, the vast majority of whom live in the capital Taipei and the cities that dot the heavily industrialized western coast.
Taipei has around 2.5 million inhabitants while the wider New Taipei City is home to a further 4 million people. The southern port city of Kaohsiung has 2.7 million residents.
In contrast, the eastern coast — where Wednesday’s quake struck — is much less populated.
The island is regularly rocked by earthquakes.
Here’s what to know about the epicenter: Hualien County has a population of about 300,000, around 100,000 of whom live in the main city of Hualien.
But many in the region live in remote coastal or mountain communities that can be hard to reach, so it might take time to understand the extent of Wednesday’s quake.
A magnitude 6.2 quake hit the area in 2018, killing at least 17 people and injuring more than 300 others.
Taiwan’s global role: The small island is a major economy that has an outsized impact on global business and trade, mainly because of its world-beating chips industry.
It also lies at the center of geopolitical tensions.
China’s Communist Party has claimed the island as its territory, despite never having controlled it. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has ramped up economic, political and military pressure on Taiwan and vowed to one day “reunify” the island, by force if necessary.
Taiwanese people have largely shrugged off that threat. Earlier this year, voters handed the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, which Beijing loathes, a historic third consecutive presidency. Incumbent president Lai Ching-te will be inaugurated next month, replacing current president Tsai Ing-wen.
At least four foreign nationals are trapped in Taiwan after the island was hit by its most powerful earthquake in 25 years on Wednesday, according to the National Fire Agency (NFA).
Two Canadian citizens are among a dozen people trapped in Taroko Gorge, a popular tourist destination in Hualien County, the epicenter of the quake.
The 12 people are awaiting rescue on the Shakadang Trail, a popular walkway along turquoise water near the entrance of the famed marble-walled canyon, the NFA said.
Two German citizens are trapped in a tunnel on the Suhua highway on the island’s eastern coast, the NFA said. The highway was severely damaged in the earthquake and has been closed.
Winding along cliffs high above the Pacific Ocean, the Suhua Highway is known as one of Taiwan’s most dangerous — yet also the most scenic — drives. It’s the main highway connecting Hualien with the north of the island and dotted with natural attractions.
Seven people have been killed in Taiwan after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck the island’s eastern coast on Wednesday morning, according to the National Fire Agency (NFA).
Another 736 people have been injured, the NFA said.
Three of the four people who died after the most powerful earthquake in 25 years hit Taiwan were hiking in Taroko Gorge, a popular tourist destination, according to the National Fire Agency (NFA).
The three people were struck by fallen rocks while hiking the Dekalun Trail in Taroko Gorge, a rugged marble-walled canyon famed for its raw natural beauty in Hualien County, the epicenter of the quake.
The fourth victim was a truck driver who was hit by fallen rocks outside a tunnel on the Suhua Highway, a major highway winding along steep cliffs of Taiwan’s eastern coast that was severely damaged in the earthquake.
A section of the road outside the tunnel where the driver was killed had collapsed, according to earlier reports by Taiwan’s television stations. The entire highway has been closed down following the quake.
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and Executive Director Chen Jianren hold a press conference as they visit the Central Disaster Response Center to learn about the earthquake disaster and rescue response situation, in Taipei, Taiwan on April 3.
At least 77 people are trapped across Taiwan after a powerful earthquake struck the island’s eastern coast, according to the National Fire Agency (NFA).
Authorities did not elaborate on the condition of those trapped, but said that rescue operations were underway.
The 7.4 magnitude quake has killed four people and injured more than 700 others, according to NFA. Of those injured, 132 are in Hualien County, near the epicenter of the quake, the agency added.
Taiwan was struck by its strongest earthquake in 25 years on Wednesday when a 7.4 magnitude tremor struck the island’s eastern coast, collapsing buildings, killing at least four people and triggering tsunami warnings across the region that were later lifted.
The tsunami warnings also prompted airlines and airports to suspend flights, which were later resumed.
In this image taken from a video run by TVBS, a partially collapsed building is seen in Hualien, eastern Taiwan on Wednesday, April 3.
Fukuoka Airport was crowded with passengers after flight suspensions following a tsunami warning in Fukushima City on April 3.
A man stands along a sidewalk in Tokyo to watch a TV showing breaking news on a tsunami warning for Okinawa on April 3, 2024.
The earthquake damaged houses and roads in New Taipei City, Taiwan, on April 3.
Firefighters work at the site where a building collapsed following the earthquake, in Hualien, Taiwan on April 3.
The powerful tremors that rocked Taiwan on Wednesday morning have damaged 125 buildings across the island, according to the National Fire Agency (NFA).
About half of the damaged buildings are in Hualien County, near the epicenter of the earthquake, according to local officials.
Four buildings in the county had partially collapsed, Hualien County Magistrate Hsu Chen-wei said at a news conference Wednesday.
Residents from three of the buildings have been safely evacuated, while search and rescue operations continue at the nine-storey Uranus Building, which is leaning to the right after the ground floor collapsed, Hsu said.
Twenty-two people have been rescued from the Uranus Building, with efforts still underway to contact one remaining resident, according to the National Fire Agency.
Taiwan was struck by its strongest earthquake in 25 years on Wednesday when a 7.4 magnitude tremor struck the island’s eastern coast, collapsing buildings, killing at least four people and prompting tsunami warnings across the region.
Here’s what you need to know:
- The quake: The earthquake hit at 7:58 a.m. local time, 18 kilometers (11 miles) south of the city of Hualien at a depth of 34.8 kilometers, according to the US Geological Survey.
- Casualties: At least four people have died, including one who was hiking in Hualien County when the quake hit, according to Taiwan’s National Fire Agency. At least 57 people have been injured.
- Damage: Dozens of buildings in Hualien County have collapsed, trapping several people. The county was also hit by landslides and rockfalls, leading to the closure of a major coastal highway where multiple tunnels were damaged.
- Tsunami warnings: The quake triggered tsunami warnings in Taiwan, southern Japan and the Philippines, with waves less than half a meter (about 1.5 feet) observed along some coasts. All tsunami warnings were later lifted.
- Flights suspended: The tsunami warnings also prompted airlines and airports to suspend flights, which were later resumed.
- Power cuts: More than 91,000 households were without electricity, according to Taiwan’s Central Emergency Command Center.
- Aftershocks: The quake was followed by several strong aftershocks, with tremors felt across the island, including in Taipei. Tremors as high as magnitude 7 are expected in the following days.
Taiwan is regularly rocked by earthquakes due to its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire.
That’s where the world’s most active volcanoes lie. It’s also where most earthquakes happen as tectonic plates push against each other, causing sudden releases of energy that result in tremors.
The “ring” stretches along a 25,000-mile (40,000-kilometer) arc from the boundary of the Pacific Plate, to smaller plates such as the Philippine Sea plate, to the Cocos and Nazca Plates that line the edge of the Pacific Ocean.
People most at risk from volcanic eruptions and earthquakes live in places that lie along the Ring of Fire, including Chile, Japan, the US west coast, and other island nations including the Solomon Islands to the western seaboard of North and South Americas.
Read more about the volatile arc.
Each time a major earthquake strikes, academics around the world pore over data to assess how the tremor played out and what lessons might be learned.
Alan Collins, a geologist at the University of Adelaide, said Taiwan “lies at an incredibly interesting plate tectonic setting.”
Wednesday’s quake, he said, “formed as a thrust, where the crust is compressed horizontally and a part of the Earth’s surface is pushed up over the bit in front of it — a bit like a piggy-back”.
While Taiwan has ample experience with earthquakes, they tend not to produce large waves, Anja Scheffers, a tsunami expert at Australia’s Southern Cross University said.
The strength of a quake is also not the only thing that determines how dangerous it is. Building quality and the time of day a quake strikes are also key, according to experts.
Four people have been killed in Taiwan after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake rocked the island, according to Taiwan’s National Fire Agency (NFA).
The deaths all occurred in Hualien County, near the epicenter of the quake, according to NFA.
At least 57 people have been injured, with most of them reported in Hualien, the agency added.
The agency earlier said that one of the fatalities was a hiker.
Japan is ready to provide support to its “important friend” Taiwan after it was struck by a 7.4 magnitude earthquake, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Wednesday.
Kishida added he was “deeply saddened” and hoped that “all friends in Taiwan will be safe.”
Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines have all canceled their tsunami warnings, whilst the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has said the threat to the United States has “largely passed”.
Tsunami waves were observed on the coasts of Taiwan and far southwestern Japanese islands after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit Taiwan on Wednesday morning.
But there were no immediate reports of any major damage caused by these waves.
In Taiwan: Tsunami heights reached nearly half a meter, or 1.5 feet, in Chenggong, approximately 100 km (62 miles) south of the quake’s epicenter.
Observed tsunami heights are measured over open water and can reach significantly higher when they reach shore.
In Japan: A 0.3-meter wave impacted Okinawa Island, Naha airport spokesperson Hideaki Tsurodo told CNN, but no waves reached the airport and it was soon reopened.
In the Philippines: The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said “no significant sea level disturbances” had been recorded since the earthquake.
In the US: The threat of any tsunami risk has “largely passed”, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. The update issued by its warning center in Honolulu said the evaluation was “based on all available data.”
It added that minor sea level “fluctuations” of up to 30 centimeters above and below normal tide levels could continue “over the next few hours.”
The US Tsunami Warning Center also advised government agencies to “monitor conditions at the coast to determine if and when it is safe to resume normal activities.”
Tsunami waves less than 0.3 meters may be observed for the coasts of Guam, Indonesia, Northern Marianas, Palau, Philippines, South Korea, Vietnam, and Yap, the center added.
The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. logo is seen atop a building in Hsinchu, Taiwan, on January 9, 2023.
Taiwanese semiconductor company TSMC has temporarily evacuated manufacturing plants following a 7.4 magnitude earthquake that struck the island on Wednesday morning, the firm told CNN.
According to initial inspections, the company’s construction sites are normal, but it “has decided to suspend work at construction sites for today, and work will resume following further inspections,” according to a statement from TSMC.
One person has been killed in Taiwan after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit the island, based on preliminary data from Taiwan’s National Fire Agency (NFA).
The person was hiking in Hualien County, NFA said.
Officials are still gathering more information about casualties, according to NFA.
A social media video captures a massive landslide in Hualien, Taiwan.
Videos posted by Taiwan residents on social media and geolocated by CNN show some of the damage from a 7.4 magnitude earthquake that rocked the island early on Wednesday.
In the eastern county of Hualien, near the epicenter of the quake, social media footage showed several collapsed buildings and residents helping trapped people escape through the window of a damaged apartment complex.
At a road intersection, a crowd of morning commuters on scooters and motorbikes watched as a multi-storey red building tilted sideways, a separate video showed.
Another video from Hualien captured a massive landslide coming down the mountain, with clouds of brown dust swallowing a section of the road and buildings nearby.
In the capital Taipei, in the north of the island, a video showed a subway car shaking violently, with passengers holding onto the handles tightly.
Taiwan is expected to be hit by aftershocks over the next three to four days following a 7.4 magnitude earthquake on Wednesday morning, according to the island’s Central Weather Administration.
The aftershocks could be as strong as a magnitude 6.5 to 7.0, a spokesperson for the administration said at a news conference.
Zhu Fenglian speaks during a regular press conference on February 28, 2024 in Beijing, China.
Beijing has offered relief assistance after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit Taiwan on Wednesday morning, according to China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Zhu Fenglian.
She added they would “pay close attention to the disaster situation and aftermaths, and are willing to provide disaster relief assistance.”
Some background: China’s ruling Communist Party claims Taiwan as its own territory, but it has never controlled the self-ruling democratic island.
Tsai Ing-wen gives a speech in Taipei, Taiwan, on October 10, 2023.
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said she has “immediately instructed the administration to get on top of the situation and understand local impacts as soon as possible,” following an earthquake that struck the island early on Wednesday.
Tsai has also instructed the administration to “provide necessary assistance, and work together with local governments to minimize the impact of the disaster,” according to a post on her Facebook page.
In this image taken from a video footage run by TVBS, a man checks a partially collapsed building in Hualien, eastern Taiwan on Wednesday, April 3.
People are trapped in Taiwan after a powerful earthquake that hit the island on Wednesday morning caused the collapse of at least 26 buildings, according to Taiwan’s Central Emergency Command Center (CEOC).
There are reports of people trapped in seven of the buildings, CEOC added.
The collapsed buildings include 15 in Hualien County near the epicenter, CEOC said.
The quake has also affected power supplies, with more than 91,000 households without electricity, CEOC said, adding that the island’s state-operated Taipower Company is currently working to fix the issue.
CEOC also noted that some train services in eastern Taiwan have been suspended, but it’s estimated that they’ll be operational again by the end of the day.
Taiwan’s east coast is breathtakingly rugged and a major tourist draw, its geography a testament to the powerful tectonic forces that lie underneath.
The island is located where the Philippines Sea Plate meets the vast Eurasian Plate. The result is a tear-drop-shaped island that boasts a towering spine of mountains running down its middle and an eastern coast that often experiences tremors.
Taiwan’s western side is where the majority of the population live, home to the largest cities, an extensive high-speed train network and much of the industrial heartland.
In contrast, the east coast is much less populated and rural. Winding roads and a much slower train line cling to steep cliffs and have to go through dozens of tunnels.
The city of Hualien itself is the gateway to many popular tourist sights including the famous Taroko Gorge and the dramatic Qingshui Cliffs, a 21-kilometer stretch of sheer cliffs that average more than 800m high.
To the south of Hualien lies many coastal spots that are particularly popular with surfers and cyclists as well as the Huadong Valley, also known as the East Rift Valley, which boasts many beautiful rural villages.
Naha airport in the southern Japan island prefecture of Okinawa is crowded on April 3, after operations were temporarily suspended following a tsunami warning due to a powerful earthquake off Taiwan.
All flights to and from Japan’s Naha Airport on Okinawa island have resumed after a tsunami warning issued for the area was downgraded, the airport’s spokesperson Hideaki Tsurudo told CNN on Wednesday.
Okinawa was impacted by small tsunami waves under 30 centimeters (11 inches) following the earthquake in Taiwan, resulting in flights to be suspended. But no waves reached the airport and it was thereby reopened, according to Tsurudo.
A man stands along a sidewalk to watch a TV showing breaking news on the tsunami advisory for the Okinawa region on Wednesday, April 3, in Tokyo.
No casualties or damage have been reported in Japan following the 7.4 magnitude earthquake in Taiwan, according to Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi.
The quake triggered tsunami warnings in Japan, but early reports show the first tsunami waves to be small, under 30 centimeters (11 inches), on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa.
But Hayashi, speaking at a press conference, said the second and third waves generated by the quake are expected to be bigger.
The tsunami warnings for Japan have been downgraded to an advisory, he said.
Still, Hayashi advised people in affected areas to remain on higher ground.
A tsunami warning was issued in the Philippines following a 7.4 magnitude earthquake in Taiwan, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.
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).
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.
Owners of boats in harbors, 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 read.
A section of the Suhua Highway on the eastern coast of Taiwan has collapsed after the earthquake.
The 7.4 magnitude earthquake that hit Taiwan on Wednesday has severely damaged a major highway along its eastern coast, according to local television stations.
Footage aired on CNN affiliate TVBS showed large boulders had fallen on the Suhua Highway, with several tunnels broken — including one that was split in half.
CNN affiliate SET News shows the front of a car smashed by fallen rocks.
At least nine rockfalls and landslides have been reported on the Suhua Highway, and the entire line has been closed, Taiwan’s Central News Agency reported, citing authorities.
Another highway connecting the west coast with the east of Taiwan was also damaged by rockfall, with at least 12 cars hit and nine people injured, TVBS reported.
Some background: Winding along steep cliffs high above the Pacific Ocean, the Suhua Highway is known as one of Taiwan’s most dangerous — yet also the most scenic — drives.
It connects the northeast of Taiwan to the eastern city of Hualien, which is near the earthquake’s epicenter.
Residents on the streets of Hualien in Taiwan have been inspecting damage following a 7.4 magnitude earthquake, footage from CNN affiliate TVBS shows.
The footage shows the awning of a building that had collapsed on top of motorbikes in the street, and a large nine-storey building partially collapsed and leaning to the right.
People evacuate to higher ground after a tsunami warning following a powerful earthquake in Naha, Okinawa prefecture, Japan, on Wednesday, April 3.
A tsunami warning issued for Miyakojima and Okinawa islands in Japan has been downgraded from a warning to an advisory, according to Japan’s Meteorological Agency.
All flights to Japan’s Naha Airport on Okinawa island have been diverted following a tsunami report, the airport’s spokesperson told CNN on Wednesday.
All staff and personnel have evacuated to the third floor in anticipation of the tsunami’s impact, Hideaki Tsurudo said, adding that no waves have reached the airport in the timeframe of the warning.
CCTV footage from SET TV’s newsroom showing ceiling lights shaking during the quake.
Footage broadcast by CNN affiliate TVBS showed how Taiwanese people captured the moment the tremors struck inside their homes and businesses using phones and security cameras.
One video showed power lines swaying violently above a street, another showed chandeliers shaking in a restaurant while a third featured water spilling out of a fishbowl.
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.
In this image taken from a video footage run by TVBS, a partially collapsed building is seen in Hualien, eastern Taiwan on Wednesday, April 3.
Reports of preliminary damage are emerging following a 7.4 magnitude earthquake in Taiwan.
Tilted houses and damage have been reported in Hualien County, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said, adding that military troops have been dispatched for disaster relief and to minimize damage and that schools and work have been suspended amid the continuing aftershocks.
Wednesday’s tsunami in Japan’s Okinawa area was the first observed in 26 years, with the last one taking place in 1998 following a 7.7 earthquake 20 km south of Ishigaki Island, according to Japan’s Metrological Agency (JMA).
During the 1998 tsunami, the forecast was for 1-meter-high waves in the coastal areas of Miyakojima and Yaeyama regions, but the actual tsunami observed was less than 10 centimeters, according to JMA.
The earthquake that struck Taiwan early on Wednesday is the strongest to impact the island in 25 years, according to a spokesperson from Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration.
A 7.3 earthquake, also known as the Jiji earthquake, struck the island in 1999, according to CWA.
That powerful quake hit 93 miles (150 kilometers) south of Taipei, killing 2,400 people and injuring 10,000 others.
In this image taken from a video footage run by TVBS, a partially collapsed building is seen in Hualien, eastern Taiwan on Wednesday, April 3.
A major earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4 struck off Taiwan’s eastern coast Wednesday, according to the US Geological Survey, prompting tsunami warnings for the island and southern Japan.
The quake’s epicenter is located about 18 kilometers (11 miles) south of the city of Hualien.
Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration issued a tsunami warning following the quake. An alert from CWA was sent to residents, though not all received it, warning that a tsunami was expected to impact the northern coastal area and that residents are advised to evacuate to higher ground.
The Japan Meteorological Agency also issued a tsunami warning for Miyakojima and Okinawa islands, warning of waves up to 3 meters expected imminently.