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Hualien - Taiwan
Consequences of the strongest earthquake in Taiwan in 25 years: At the epicenter, in Hualien Province in the east of the country, four people died and dozens more were injured under the buried houses, according to authorities.
The eastern coastal region was hit by the 7.2 magnitude quake around 8 a.m. Landslides occurred in the sparsely populated mountain region.
The quake was also felt in the capital Taipei, right in the middle of rush hour traffic.
Taipei
The tremors shook buildings like this news station. The people in the capital reacted quickly and prudently.
Chang Yu-Lin, resident
"Everything was shaking a lot, the motorcycles in front of our house overturned, so I quickly turned off the gas and electricity and opened the front door."
Vhen Nien-Tzu, resident
"Because there hadn't been an earthquake for so long, it was really scary."
Fu Zhong Mei, tourist from Hong Kong
»When I realized it was an earthquake, I quickly got dressed, then took the child with me and ran down the stairs. I didn’t take anything else with me.”
The Taiwanese authorities document how high-rise buildings like the famous Taipei 101 shake - but withstand the quake.
The epicenter of the quake was around 15 kilometers deep and there were at least 25 aftershocks. Rescue workers are still on duty and more than 87,000 households are still without power.
According to Chinese state media and eyewitnesses, the quake was also felt in various cities on the Chinese mainland. A tsunami warning was issued for southern Japan and the Philippines, but the alert has since been lifted.