WHAT WAS CLAIMED
Taiwan has declared a state of emergency after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck the island.
OUR VERDICT
Misleading. The footage shows the effects of an earthquake in April 2024.
AAP FACTCHECK - Taiwan has not declared a state of emergency and social media claims that the island is being "completely wiped off the map" by a major earthquake are false.
Video footage purportedly showing the impact of a recent disaster was actually filmed in April 2024.
There is also no record of any recent earthquake of that magnitude or any recent news reports about Taiwan declaring a state of emergency.
The misleading post is from a user whose posts have previously been debunked by AAP FactCheck.
The claim appears in a Facebook video featuring clips of buildings shaking and being damaged during an earthquake.
"Nope, this is not fake and Taiwan is being completely wiped off the map and very soon there will be nothing left," a voiceover in the video says.
"Taiwan has just been declared red in a state of emergency after officials announced a horrifying 7.4 magnitude earthquake evacuation, with one of the deadliest, powerful earthquakes ever hitting us."
The video's caption reads: "#BreakingNews Taiwan's 7.4 Earthquake: A Catastrophe That Changed Lives in Seconds."
The video starts with footage of a red building lurching to the side, then cuts to several other buildings showing signs of damage.
The red building is located in Hualien, Taiwan, and is visible in a Google Street View image from September 2023.
The building was damaged in a magnitude 7.4 earthquake that hit the city, NBC News, but this disaster occurred in 2024.
A Google Streetview image from September 2025 shows the site of the building is now an empty lot, as it was demolished shortly after the earthquake.
There have been several recent earthquakes in Taiwan, according to Central Weather Administration data, but none registered a magnitude of 7.4.
AAP FactCheck found no evidence of news reports or government statements declaring a nationwide state of emergency.
During the Facebook video (timestamp 31 seconds), a news headline from a publication called Mothership is shown referring to a 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Taiwan.
However, the article was published on April 3, 2024.
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