At least nine people died and more than 800 were injured in a powerful earthquake that hit Taiwan today, while 50 people are missing, reports Reuters.
Some of the injured were trapped in buildings and tunnels across the city, the fire department said. Several buildings in Hualien collapsed.
"At the moment, there is no information that Montenegrin citizens living in Taiwan were affected by the earthquake, said Daniel Wei-Ting from the representative office of Taiwan in Hungary, which also covers Montenegro.
The earthquake was under the sea, with a magnitude of 7,4 on the Richter scale, and was recorded around midnight, according to the United States Seismological Service (USGS).
The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake had a magnitude of 7,5, and Taiwanese meteorologists put the magnitude at 7,2.
Tsunami warnings were in effect for Taiwan, the Philippines and Japan. The danger of a tsunami has passed, but the population is on alert for possible aftershocks.
Agencies report that the earthquake was the strongest earthquake recorded in Taiwan in the last 25 years.
The earthquake was also felt in the mountainous interior of Taiwan, which caused huge landslides, the BBC reported.
Footage shows buildings shaking in the capital, Taipei.
"The earthquake is close to the mainland and shallow. It was felt all over Taiwan and the offshore islands... It is the strongest in the last 25 years," said Wu Chien Fu, director of the Taipei Seismological Center.
Three people died on the trail around Taroko National Park, named after a famous gorge near Hualien, authorities said.
Taiwanese chip giant TSMC said it had evacuated some of its factories in Hsinchu and southern Taiwan for the safety of employees, but added that its security systems were operating normally.
TSMC is a major semiconductor manufacturer for technology firms, including Apple and Nvidia.
Due to the earthquake, several surrounding countries issued a tsunami warning, but later announced that there was no danger of large waves.
Local media footage shows collapsed residential buildings and destroyed homes and schools.
Many cars and shops were also damaged by the falling facades.
Power and internet outages were reported across the island, according to NetBloks.
The earthquake was recorded on Wednesday at 07:58 local time, at a depth of 15,5 kilometers and caused at least nine aftershocks of magnitude four and above.
The epicenter of the earthquake was 18 kilometers south of Hualien, according to the US Geological Survey.
Hualien is on the east coast of Taiwan, in a vast mountainous region.
The surrounding towns are sparsely populated.
With major roads and rail lines connecting Hualien to the rest of Taiwan now down, rescue teams will likely have to reach the area by air.
In September 1999, a magnitude 7,6 earthquake struck Taiwan, killing 2.400 people and destroying 5.000 buildings.
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