No Vietnamese victims reported in Taiwan earthquake
VOV.VN - No Vietnamese citizens have been reported as victims of a powerful earthquake which shook Taiwan (China) on April 3 morning, according to the Vietnam Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs directed the office to keep a close watch on the situation to timely carry out citizen protection measures.
The office immediately launched a hotline, +886 933262836, in order to receive information regarding Vietnamese citizens affected by the quake.
According to data released by Taiwanese authorities, at least seven people were killed and more than 700 were injured after the powerful earthquake hit the waters off of Hualien County in northeastern Taiwan at 07:58 a.m (local time).
Firefighters said that more than 70 people remain trapped in the rubble and casualties will rise over the coming hours.
A Japanese weather agency revealed that it recorded a magnitude of 7.7, triggering tsunami warnings in Taiwan, southern Japan and the Philippines.
The earthquake also forced the Japanese Government to issue a tsunami warning on the southern island of Okinawa, while the Philippines Seismology Agency also issued a warning for residents in coastal areas of several provinces, urging them to evacuate to higher ground.
This is the strongest earthquake in Taiwan over the past 25 years, since the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that claimed nearly 2,400 lives in 1999.
