Power outages and tsunami alerts after strong earthquake

A strong earthquake has struck off the coast of southwestern Japan – with reports of power outages in parts of Taiwan.

Tsunami warnings were issued after the quake – which had an estimated magnitude of 7.5 – with residents in coastal areas of Okinawa urged to evacuate.

The first wave of a tsunami is believed to have already struck two of Japan’s southern islands – with waves of up to three metres expected to reach larger areas of the southwestern coast.

Japan’s meteorological agency described the quake as very shallow, which can cause greater damage.

Television footage showed some buildings in the city of Hualien in Taiwan had collapsed, with state media reporting that some people were trapped inside.

The quake struck at 7.58am local time, causing train services to be suspended.

According to a witness, the quake could be felt as far as Shanghai in China.

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About 20% of the world’s most serious quakes happen in Japan, which is one of the world’s most seismically active areas.

A magnitude 9 earthquake in March 2011 was the strongest in the country’s history – triggering a massive tsunami and the world’s worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl.

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