M7.7 quake hits off Taiwan, small tsunami reaches Okinawa

TOKYO (Kyodo) — An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 struck off the coast of Taiwan on Wednesday, with Japanese authorities saying small tsunami reached nearby islands in the country’s southwest.

The quake triggered landslides and also caused some buildings to collapse in Taiwan’s Hualien County, according to local media.

Small tsunami reached the islands of Yonaguni, Ishigaki and Miyako in Okinawa Prefecture, the Japan Meteorological agency said, while warning of the possibility of larger tsunami of up to 1 meter.

The agency initially projected tsunami of up to 3 meters but later downgraded the warning.

The 8:58 a.m. quake registered 4 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in Yonaguni, said the agency. The magnitude was revised to 7.7 from 7.5.

Flights were suspended at Naha airport following issuance of the tsunami warning, with passengers urged to move to higher floors of the terminal building, its operator said. The airport is located on the coast of the main island of the prefecture.

In Okinawa, alarms repeatedly sounded to urge evacuation to higher ground. On Yonaguni Island, residents evacuated to a junior high school overlooking the sea.

“Residents calmly evacuated. (At this point) it doesn’t seem the waves are coming,” the school’s vice principal said.

After the warning was issued, some 40 residents gathered on the second floor of the school.

An employee at a rental car outlet in Ishigaki said, “I was surprised when my mobile phone’s alarm rang loudly. There have been a lot of earthquakes recently, so I’m scared.”