The tremors of the earthquake, which occurred at 7:58 am local time on Wednesday, were felt in Taiwan as well as in China, the Philippines and Japan. In an immediate statement, the Japan Meteorological Agency said that there is a risk of a tsunami due to this large earthquake in Taiwan and its three neighboring countries. Ocean wave heights can exceed 3 meters (9 feet) during a tsunami.

According to the US Geological Survey, the epicenter of the earthquake was 18 kilometers south of the city of Hualien in Taiwan. Wu Shien Fu, director of the Taipei Seismology Center, Taiwan’s earthquake monitoring and research organization, told the BBC, “The location of this epicenter is a short distance from the sea shore or Danga, that is, in the shallow part of the sea, on the east coast. Because of this, full-scale tremors were felt in Taiwan and its neighboring countries…the largest earthquake to hit Taiwan in the past 25 years.

The Philippine Seismological Agency has already issued a tsunami warning.