International

Large-scale earthquake hits Taiwan

Large-scale earthquake hits Taiwan

A cluster of earthquakes struck the island republic of Taiwan early Tuesday, the strongest having a magnitude of 6.1, U S Geological Survey reported.

There were no reports of casualties in the quakes, although there were further damages to two multi-story buildings that had been evacuated following a magnitude 7.4 quake that hit the island earlier this month, killing 13 people and injuring over 1,000. That earthquake was centred along the coast of the rural and mountainous Hualien County.

It was the strongest earthquake in the past 25 years in Taiwan and was followed by hundreds of aftershocks. The quakes Tuesday’s are considered the latest of those.

According to the USGS, Tuesday’s quake of 6.1 magnitude had its epicentre 28 kilometres (17.5 miles) south of the city of Hualien, at a depth of 10.7 kilometers. The half-dozen other quakes ranged from magnitude 4.5 to magnitude 6, all near Hualien. Taiwan’s own earthquake monitoring centre put the magnitude of the initial quake at 6.3. Such small discrepancies are common between monitoring stations.

READ ALSO:

The largest among them were two earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 and 6.3 that occurred at 2:26 a.m. and 2:32 a.m. Tuesday, respectively, according to the Taiwan center. Numerous of the scores of aftershocks could be felt on the upper floors of apartment buildings in the capital, Taipei, about 150 kilometres (93 miles) across steep mountains to the northwest.

The Full Hotel in downtown Hualien partially collapsed during the quakes and was left leaning at a severe angle. However, it had been undergoing renovations and was unoccupied at the time. The nearby Tong Shuai Building was also empty, having been marked for demolition after being heavily damaged in the April 3 quake.

Schools and offices in Hualien and the surrounding county were ordered closed on Tuesday as hundreds of aftershocks continued to strike on land and just off the coast in the Pacific Ocean, the vast majority below magnitude 3. Authorities advised anyone whose home had been damaged in the last quake to move out until the aftershocks subsided, and some decided to wait in their cars.

Large-scale earthquake hits Taiwan

Trends Admin

Recent Posts

Alleged fraud: Court remands Yahaya Bello, others in EFCC custody

Alleged fraud: Court remands Yahaya Bello, others in EFCC custody The High Court of the…

9 minutes ago

I’m alive, Obasanjo reacts to death rumour

I'm alive, Obasanjo reacts to death rumour    Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has said he…

54 minutes ago

Police rearrest popular singer, Speed Darlington

Police rearrest popular singer, Speed Darlington Nigerian musician Darlington Okoye, popularly known as Speed Darlington,…

1 hour ago

Hamdiyya Sidi makes U-turn, apologises to Sokoto gov over video on insecurity

Hamdiyya Sidi makes U-turn, apologises to Sokoto gov over video on insecurity In a significant…

1 hour ago

Customs officers, smugglers clash in Ogun, onlooker killed

Customs officers, smugglers clash in Ogun, onlooker killed A bystander was fat@lly struck by a stray…

2 hours ago

Poly lecturers to embark on nationwide strike from Dec 2

Poly lecturers to embark on nationwide strike from Dec 2 The Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of…

2 hours ago