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Tsunami aims at Philippines after quake

Iran Materials 26 December 2006 17:53 (UTC +04:00)

(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, reports Trend.

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.

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