PETALING JAYA: There have been no reports of Malaysians being affected by the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck Taiwan’s east coast this morning, says Wisma Putra.
Reuters reported that four people had died in the mountainous, sparsely populated eastern county of Hualien where the quake’s epicentre was, with more than 50 injured.
The quake, the biggest to hit Taiwan since 1999 when a 7.6-magnitude tremor killed around 2,400 people, knocked out power in several parts of Taipei and sparked a tsunami warning in southern Japan and the Philippines.
“The foreign ministry, through the Malaysian Friendship and Trade Centre in Taipei, is closely monitoring the situation,” the ministry said in a statement.
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Reuters reported that Taiwan television stations showed footage of some collapsed buildings in Hualien, and the media reported that some people were trapped.
Chinese state media said the quake was felt in China’s Fujian province, while a Reuters witness said it was also felt in Shanghai.
Japan’s weather agency said several small tsunami waves reached parts of the southern prefecture of Okinawa, while the Philippines Seismology Agency issued a warning for residents in coastal areas of several provinces to evacuate to higher ground.
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