7.4-magnitude earthquake strikes on coast of Taiwan

A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Wednesday morning on the east coast of Taiwan, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The quake happened at around 8 a.m. local time and had a depth of around 21 miles, according to the USGS. It was located about 11 miles south-southwest of Hualien City.

Japan’s Meteorological Agency issued tsunami warnings for Okinawa Islands, Miyakojima and the Yaemama area, with heights as much as 3 meters, or a little less than 10 feet, possible.

The Tsunami Warning Center in the U.S. said there was a tsunami threat of up to 1 meter for Japan and 1 to 3 meters for Taiwan.

Officials in Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture told people in coastal areas to go to higher ground as soon as possible, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported, and said that an 11-inch tsunami was observed at Yonaguni Island.

The Philippines were also expected to see tsunami waves, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said. The waves could last hours, it said.

There was no tsunami threat in New Zealand or on the U.S. Pacific coast, officials said.

Taiwan’s meteorological agency listed the magnitude of the earthquake at 7.2.

There have been less powerful earthquakes in the area following the larger one, according to the USGS. Those had magnitudes of 6.5, 5.7 and 5.5.

Hualien City has a population of around 106,000 and is on the eastern coast of the island, around 70 miles southeast of the capital of Taipei.