Earthquake in Taiwan, buildings collapse. “The strongest earthquake in 25 years”. At least four dead, hundreds injured. Tsunami warning lifted

In Taiwan we are used to earthquakes. So much so that very often foreign residents or tourists are surprised by the Olympic calm with which the Taiwanese continue their activities, regardless of the frequent tremors in an area with high seismic density. But this morning's earthquake was not like the others. With a magnitude that varies between 7.2 and 7.5 depending on the observer, it is the strongest earthquake since the one that killed around 2,400 people in 1999. Precisely since then, the anti-seismic rules have been tightened and this partly explains the relatively limited damage faced with an earthquake of such intensity.

Although the epicenter is located about 300 kilometers away from Taipei, even in the capital the earthquake was very strong and very prolonged. The writer's apartment shook for almost two minutes, with several objects falling to the floor, even though it is only on the first floor. Social media is flooded with testimonies of more evident consequences among those who live on higher floors. Walking through the streets of Taipei there is no sense of panic, even though debris has fallen from several buildings. They can also be seen at the entrance to Liberty Square, right in front of the Chiang Kai-shek memorial.

The provisional toll is 4 dead and over 700 injured. Seventy-seven people are trapped under the rubble. All the victims were recorded in Hualien, a city on the east coast which is also home to an important military base of the Taiwanese army, which hosts the F16s often engaged in intercepting the aerial maneuvers of Chinese jets. The numbers could get worse, however, as at least 26 buildings have collapsed or tilted in Hualien alone, while various other damages have been reported across the island. The famous Suhua scenic road has collapsed in several places and road connections between Taipei and the east coast are very complicated if not completely interrupted.

The most impressive images are perhaps those of the collapse of the “head” of Turtle Island, off the coast of Yilan county. Collapses also occurred in the central province of Nantou and the northern province of Taoyuan, not far from the international airport. In New Taipei, an elevated subway line was damaged and evacuated. There have been train service cancellations across Taiwan. There were also some problems with the internet connection, while around 87 thousand people remained without electricity. Several schools were closed, as were several offices, and authorities asked citizens to avoid elevators.

Some of the production plants of TSMC, the microchip giant which alone holds over 50% of the global share of the manufacturing and assembly sector, were also evacuated. Meanwhile, there were several other aftershocks throughout the morning and the authorities warned that the earthquake swarm could continue over the next four days. Japan and the Philippines revoked the tsunami warning they had issued immediately after the quake, which was also felt on the eastern coast of China up to the metropolis of Shanghai. Beijing has also offered to provide assistance, putting aside for a moment the growing political and military tensions of recent years. Meanwhile, Taiwan, which usually downplays risks and fears about earthquakes and more, is this time trying to recover from moments (for once, yes) of fear.