Filipinos Punk'd

10:00 p.m. Shanghai local time: a massive 7.2 earthquake struck Southwest Taiwan on Tuesday evening and a resulting 3-foot high tsunami is expected to hit the Philippines.  Today is the 2nd anniversary of the massive 9.1 earthquake off the coast of Indonesia that triggered the 2004 tsunami that killed 233,000 people.  The initial tremors were felt near Hengchun on the southern tip of Taiwan.  The AP reports that buildings rocked and the quake was felt in the Taiwanese capital of Taipei, 260 miles from Hengchun.  There were no immediate reports of serious damage or injuries.

Update, 11:54 p.m.: One person dead, three injured when a house collapsed in Pintung in southern Taiwan.  Reports of streets cracking and damage to a major bridge.  The actual magnitude of the quake was 6.7 on the Richter scale.  No danger of a tsunami.

The next day, 11:00 a.m.: No big thing.  2 dead, 42 injured in the Taiwanese quake.  The two dead were crushed in the collapse of a furniture factory in Hengchun on the southern tip of Taiwan.  Reportedly, 6 undersea telecommunication cables were damaged disrupting service in Taiwan and South Korea.  The earthquake was felt in China and Hong Kong.  Thankfully, there was no tsunami as the Pacific Tsunami warning center feared late last night.  The Philippines experienced a major false alarm.

•AP: Taiwan Quake Kills Two