Strongest earthquake in 25 years hits Taiwan, setting off tsunami alerts

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A 7.4 scale disaster struck off Taiwan’s west coast on Wednesday, setting off storm warnings on the island and its neighbouring nations.

The epicentre is located about 18km ( 11mi ) south of Taiwan’s Hualien city, according to the US Geological Survey.

This is Taiwan’s strongest disaster in 25 years, authorities said.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, storm waves of up to 3 meters were forecast to hit large portions of Japan’s southwest coast.

The Philippine company for geosciences has even issued a tsunami warning.

According to Chinese state advertising, tremors were felt in some areas of Fujian province in southern China.

” The disaster is close to land and it’s deep. It’s felt all over Taiwan and onshore islands… It’s the strongest in 25 times”, said Wu Chien Fu, the chairman of Taipei’s Seismology Centre.

In September 1999, a 7.6- scale quake hit Taiwan, killing 2, 400 individuals.

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