A strong earthquake of 7.2 Magnitude struck off 85 km East of Yujing of Taiwan on Sunday, the US Geological Survey said, but there were no initial reports of casualties or damage. This earthquake struck the region just a day after a 6.5-magnitude quake hit just after 9:30 pm (1330 GMT) about 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of the coastal city of Taitung at 10 kilometers deep, the USGS said.
A two-story residential building collapsed near the epicenter, according to a Taiwanese media report. The shaking was felt at the north end of the island in the capital, Taipei. Following the quake in Taiwan, Japan Meteorological Agency issued an advisory for a tsunami as high as 1 meter (3 feet) reaching several southern Japanese islands.
The agency said the earliest waves could reach Yonaguni island, Japan’s westernmost island about 110 kilometers (70 miles) east of Taiwan, at around 4:10 p.m. (0710 GMT) and subsequently three nearby islands. The islands are about 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) southwest of Tokyo. Weather officials urged residents in those areas to stay away from the coastline.
Taiwan’s Taitung County was hit by a 6.4 earthquake Saturday night and has been rattled by numerous aftershocks since then.
