Taiwan was shaken by a collection of earthquakes on Monday and early Tuesday, the strongest with a magnitude of 6.3, partially toppling two buildings and conserving frightened residents up in a single day. The tremors have been aftershocks from the magnitude 7.3 quake that killed 17 folks three weeks in the past, the authorities mentioned.
The tremors started simply after 5 p.m. on Monday native time with a 5.5 magnitude quake in Hualien County on Taiwan’s east coast, in keeping with Wu Chien-fu, the director of the Taiwanese Central Climate Administration’s Seismological Middle. It was adopted by a collection of smaller tremors some minutes later in the identical space.
Two buildings within the metropolis of Hualien partially collapsed, some residents have been evacuated and colleges and workplaces in Hualien County have been ordered to shut on Tuesday due to the specter of persevering with tremors, in keeping with native information retailers. No accidents or deaths had been reported by Tuesday morning.
Mr. Wu mentioned at a information convention on Monday night time that the quakes have been aftershocks from the lethal April 3 quake, which was the strongest to hit Taiwan in 25 years. The epicenter of that earthquake was additionally within the Hualien County space.
By Tuesday morning, greater than 180 shocks had been recorded within the earlier 24 hours, in keeping with the Central Climate Administration. The strongest have been at 2:26 a.m., at magnitude 6, off Taiwan’s japanese coast, and a pair of:32 a.m., at magnitude 6.3, about 10 miles from Hualien County. The newest large tremor got here at about 8 a.m. on Tuesday, in keeping with the Central Climate Administration.
Chen Mei-hui, 58, a retired saleswoman who lives in Hualien, mentioned the tremors had put her in a “very torturous temper.”
“I’ve been unable to sleep nicely because the earthquake final month,” she mentioned on Tuesday morning. “We are able to solely pray that our home is robust sufficient to get us by way of this troublesome time.”
Chris Buckley contributed reporting.
