Taiwan News: Taiwan hit by earthquake of 7.2 magnitude; strong tremors prompt officials to halt trains

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A strong earthquake of 7.2 magnitudes struck Taiwan on Sunday at around 12:14 PM IST, US Geological Survey (US Geological Survey) confirmed. According to the agency, the epicentre of the quake was reported to be 85 km east of Yujing district in Taiwan. The strong earthquake followed a series of aftershocks that hit the self-governing island off China’s east coast. Some local media also reported the collapse of a two-story residential building near the epicentre.

While social media platforms have been flooded with horrific videos of the natural disaster, one of the videos shows two men hiding under the roof of the railway junction as the train shook due to the tremors. US Geological Survey (US Geological Survey) said, following the incident, the Taiwan Railway Administration temporarily halted trains connecting Hualien and Taitung. Along with this, high-speed rail services were also canceled.

In the wake of the strong earthquake in Taiwan, the neighbor Japan Meteorological Agency issued an advisory for a tsunami as high as 3 feet reaching several southern Japanese islands. Meanwhile, weather officials appealed to the residents in areas to stay away from the coastline. Notably, this is the second quake within 24 hours. Earlier on Saturday, a 6.4 earthquake hit Taiwan on Saturday night in an area north of Taitung County that has been rattled by numerous aftershocks since then.

Image: Pixabay.

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