Taiwan was rocked by a series of earthquakes on Monday and early Tuesday, the strongest measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale, toppling parts of two buildings and scaring residents overnight. The tremor was a magnetic aftershock 7.4 magnitude earthquake killed 17 people three weeks ago, authorities said.
According to Wu Chien-fu, director of the Seismology Center of Taiwan's Central Weather Administration, the tremors began shortly after 5 p.m. local time on Monday with the magnitude 5.5 quake. magnitude in Hualien County on Taiwan's east coast. This was followed by a series of smaller tremors a few minutes later in the same area.
Two buildings in Hualien city partially collapsed, some residents were evacuated and schools and offices in Hualien county were ordered to close Tuesday because of continued earthquake risk. based on local news agencies. No injuries or deaths were reported as of Tuesday morning.
Mr. Wu said in a news conference on Monday evening that the quakes were aftershocks from the deadly April 3 quake, the strongest to hit Taiwan in the past 25 years. The epicenter of that earthquake was also in the Hualien district area.
By Tuesday morning, more than 180 earthquakes had been recorded in the previous 24 hours, according to the Central Weather Administration. The strongest was at 2:26 a.m., category 6, off the east coast of Taiwan, and at 2:32 a.m., category 6.3, about 10 miles off Hualien County. The latest major earthquake occurred around 8 a.m. Tuesday, based on Central Meteorological Department.
Chen Mei-hui, 58, a retired saleswoman living in Hualien, said the tremors had left her in a “very miserable mood”.
“I haven't been able to sleep well since this month's earthquake,” she said Tuesday morning. “We can only pray that our home is strong enough to get through these difficult times.”
Chris Buckley Report contributions.
