As buildings swayed and collapsed, and Taiwan's towers shook on the morning of Wednesday, a devastating earthquake struck the country. Controversial Dutch seismologist Frank Hoogerbeets reminded everyone. He tweeted a video shortly after the disaster, recalling his warnings from days earlier about the likelihood of a major earthquake.
In his tweet, he linked to a detailed analysis of the indicators leading up to the earthquake in Taiwan, stating that the new planetary and seismic analysis indicated a potential for significant seismic activity based on the trend observed over the last 10 days. He warned, "Be careful. There is a clear possibility based on statistics of a major seismic event," while predicting an "increase in seismic activity," though he did not specify the exact nature.
Three days later than expected, he shared, "You can watch the detailed analysis of the particular geometry that preceded this major earthquake and why a ~M7.5 was anticipated." He estimated the earthquake's intensity could reach around 5 to 6 on the Richter scale, suggesting this might occur in the coming days (the video was posted a week ago).
Shortly after his tweet, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck off the coast of Taiwan, affecting the capital Taipei on Wednesday morning, which resulted in power outages in various parts of the city and a tsunami warning for southern Japan and the Philippines. The Central Weather Administration of Taiwan reported that the earthquake occurred at 07:58 a.m. local time (23:58 GMT) at a depth of 15.5 kilometers off the eastern coast of the island.
Taiwanese television channels showed footage of some collapsed buildings in Hualien, near the earthquake's epicenter, with reports indicating that some individuals were trapped.
This has been reported as one of the worst earthquakes in Taiwan in 25 years. According to the official Central News Agency, this is the strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan since 1999 when a magnitude 7.6 quake killed around 2,400 people and completely or partially destroyed 50,000 buildings in one of Taiwan's most severe recorded earthquakes.
Meanwhile, Japan's NHK reported that the earthquake reached a maximum intensity of six on the Japanese seismic scale in Hualien. The Japan Meteorological Agency noted that in earthquakes of this magnitude, most unreinforced concrete walls collapse, making it impossible for people to stand or move without crawling. The earthquake struck Taiwan amid tsunami warnings for the island, Japan, and the Philippines, showing breathtaking scenes of shaking streets and bridges.
