TAIPEI, Taiwan — A powerful earthquake rocked the entire island of Taiwan early Wednesday, collapsing buildings in a southern city and creating a tsunami that washed ashore on southern Japanese islands.

A five-story building in lightly populated Hualien appeared heavily damaged, collapsing its first floor and leaving the rest leaning at a 45-degree angle. In the capital, Taipei, tiles fell from older buildings and within some newer office complexes.

Taiwan's earthquake monitoring agency gave the magnitude as 7.2 while the U.S. Geological Survey put it at 7.4{ai:summary}<p>In Taipei, a devastating earthquake shakes the island of Taiwan, causing buildings to collapse and a tsunami hitting southern Japanese islands. Reports of damage in Hualien, with buildings leaning at precarious angles. The capital, Taipei, also experiences structural damage. #disaster #foreignaffairs</p>

Taiwan hit by strong earthquake, damaging buildings and causing a tsunami

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