Massive 7.2 magnitude earthquake hits Taiwan, killing at least 9

Taiwan was rocked by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake on Wednesday, the strongest to hit the island in 25 years.

It has so far killed nine people, injured about 900 others and prompted a tsunami warning for southern Japan and the Philippines, which was later lifted.

At least 26 buildings collapsed; 15 were located in Hualien City, near the epicentre. The was last struck by a deadly earthquake in 2018.

Taiwan could still be hit by aftershocks as high as magnitude 7 over the next three days, the island’s Central Weather Administration said.

Given the frequency of earthquakes in Taiwan, which is positioned on a tectonic boundary between the Eurasian Plate and the Philippine Sea Plate, the government already has emergency measures in place for natural disasters. So the response to this morning’s earthquake was swift.