At least four dead and 57 injured after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake and numerous aftershocks in Taiwan

The authorities of Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines withdraw the tsunami warning

At least four people have died and 57 have been injured after a series of powerful earthquakes, the strongest of which measured 7.4 on the Richter scale, which shook the island of Taiwan this Wednesday morning, causing the collapse. of some buildings and damaging other types of infrastructure.

The Taiwan Fire Department has reported that three people have died and more than 40 have been injured on the Taroko Dekaron road in Xiulin township, while a driver has died after falling rocks near the Daqingshui tunnel. , according to the Taiwanese newspaper 'China Times'.

In addition, the island's emergency teams are already carrying out rescue tasks to save people who have been trapped in the rubble of buildings.

The first earthquake has been followed by more than a dozen aftershocks - the largest measuring 6.5 -, all of which occurred in Hualian county and its surroundings, in the east, and have been felt throughout the island, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and confirmed by Taipei Mayor Chiang Wanan, who has declared level two of the disaster response center in the city.

"The city's disaster response center has been raised to level two, public works, industrial and fire stations have deployed personnel, and emergency response teams have been established within each unit, and immediately investigation, reporting and relief work have begun," the mayor said.

Likewise, it has asked citizens to be cautious and be attentive to possible new aftershocks, according to a statement published on its Facebook social network account.

The Taiwan Meteorological Center, which had issued a tsunami warning, has considered that the risk no longer exists and has lifted it.

The tremor could also be felt on the Japanese islands of Okinawa with a force of four degrees, which initially caused the Japanese authorities to issue a tsunami warning that has already been withdrawn, according to the Kyodo News news agency.

For its part, the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) had also warned about a possible tsunami, which it has already withdrawn.

This earthquake is the strongest Taiwan has experienced in 25 years. In September 1999, a 7.3 magnitude earthquake left more than 2,400 dead and 11,000 injured.