TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) - A powerful quake struck off southwestern Taiwan on Tuesday, triggering a potentially destructive tsunami that was headed toward the Philippines on the second anniversary of the deadly waves that killed thousands in south Asia.
The quake, with a magnitude of between 6.7 and 7.2, was felt throughout Taiwan, Japan's Meteorological Bureau said. It swayed buildings and knocked objects off the shelves in the capital, Taipei.
The bureau said the 3-foot-high tsunami was expected to hit Basco in the Philippines.
"There is a possibility of a destructive local tsunami," the bureau said.
Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau said the quake measured magnitude 6.7, while the U.S. Geological Survey and Japanese bureau put it at magnitude 7.2.
No damage or injuries were immediately reported.
The Central Weather Bureau said a 6.4 magnitude aftershock struck a nearby area about nine minutes later.
The initial tremor was centered at sea about 13 miles southwest of Hengchun on the southern tip of Taiwan, the bureau said. Hengchun is about 260 miles south of Taipei.
Copyright © 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
RSS
