At least four dead, dozens injured as 7.2 magnitude earthquake jolts Taiwan

At least four people were killed and dozens were injured after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake, the strongest tremor in at least 25 years, hit Taiwan on Wednesday, officials said.

Taiwan's government informed that the epicentre of the quake was the eastern county of Hualien.

According to officials, at least 26 buildings were collapsed, in which 20 people were trapped under the rubble.

The country's geological department measured the quake at magnitude 7.2 and said it struck at 8:00 am (0203 GMT), at a depth of 15.5 kilometres.

“The earthquake is close to land and it’s shallow. It’s felt all over Taiwan and offshore islands,” said Wu Chien-fu, director of Taipei’s Central Weather Administration’s Seismology Center.

The US Geological Survey measured the quake at magnitude 7.2 and said it struck at 8:00 am, 18 kilometres south of Taiwan’s Hualien City, at a depth of 34.8km.

Social media was flooded with videos and images showing the effects of the powerful quake on the island.

Taiwan is regularly hit by earthquakes as the island lies near the junction of two tectonic plates, while nearby Japan experiences around 1,500 jolts every year.