TAIPEI, Taiwan, Apr 23: Taiwan experienced a series of earthquakes early Tuesday, with the strongest registering a magnitude of 6.1, as reported by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Fortunately, no casualties were reported from these quakes, although they caused further damage to two multi-story buildings that had been evacuated following a magnitude 7.4 quake earlier this month. The previous earthquake, centered along the coast of rural and mountainous Hualien County, claimed the lives of 13 people and injured over 1,000. It marked the strongest earthquake in Taiwan in the past 25 years and was followed by numerous aftershocks.
Tuesday’s 6.1-magnitude quake had its epicenter 28 kilometers (17.5 miles) south of Hualien city, with a depth of 10.7 kilometers. Additionally, several other quakes ranging from magnitude 4.5 to magnitude 6 occurred near Hualien. While the Taiwan earthquake monitoring center reported the initial quake magnitudes as 6.3, minor discrepancies between monitoring stations are common.
The largest quakes, with magnitudes of 6.0 and 6.3, occurred at 2:26 a.m. and 2:32 a.m. respectively, according to the Taiwan center. While numerous aftershocks were felt in the capital Taipei, about 150 kilometers (93 miles) northwest, most were below magnitude 3.
During the quakes, the Full Hotel in downtown Hualien partially collapsed and was left leaning at a severe angle. However, it was undergoing renovations and was unoccupied at the time. The nearby Tong Shuai Building, marked for demolition after being heavily damaged in the April 3 quake, also remained unoccupied.
As aftershocks continued to strike on land and just off the coast in the Pacific Ocean, schools and offices in Hualien and the surrounding county were ordered closed on Tuesday. Despite Taiwan’s susceptibility to powerful earthquakes, its toll on the island’s 23 million residents has been relatively contained due to excellent earthquake preparedness, strict construction standards, and widespread public education campaigns. However, the 1999 magnitude 7.7 earthquake in Taiwan serves as a grim reminder of the potential devastation.
