6.7 magnitude earthquake shakes Taiwan (China), leaves one person injured

Taiwan (China) often suffers from battles earthquake due to its proximity to the intersection of two tectonic plates. Taiwan does not issue a tsunami warning unless an earthquake occurs with a magnitude above 7.

The United States Geological Survey initially estimated the quake, which struck at 1:41 a.m. on March 23, was a magnitude of 6.9, but downgraded it to a magnitude of 6.6 before giving a final rating of 6. ,7 degrees. At the same time, the agency also adjusted the depth of the earthquake’s epicenter from the original 10 km (6 miles) to 24 km.

The quake struck off the east coast of Taiwan, near the tourist district of Hualien, but tremors were felt over much of the island.

The warnings issued by the Taiwanese government were sent to the mobile phones of the residents.

“My ceiling chandelier shook for more than three minutes and didn’t stop,” local reporter Chao Li wrote on Facebook. “It shook so much, it scared everyone to death.”

An AFP reporter also felt the news agency’s building in Taipei’s Zhongshan district shake for several minutes at the time.

A road in Taitung was damaged after the earthquake. (Photo: CNA)

On the morning of March 23, local media published video footage of scenes in grocery stores showing many items falling off shelves when the earthquake struck.

Taiwan’s National Fire Agency confirmed on its official Facebook page that a man in the southern district of Taitung was hit by falling glass and taken to the hospital.

The agency said that a bridge under construction in Hualien collapsed but no one was injured because the local government had banned traffic around the area.

Famous for its beaches and hiking spots, Hualien County saw a 6.4 magnitude earthquake in 2018, which killed 17 people and injured 300.

“Please do not panic if there is an aftershock and we urge people to prepare for disaster prevention work,” the Hualien county government said on its official Facebook page.

There were about 150 aftershocks, most of them below 3.6 magnitude, after the initial quake, according to Chen Kuo-chang, head of the Seismic Center of Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau.

The last time Taiwan experienced an earthquake of this magnitude was in January, when a magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck the east coast of the territory. No damage or injury was noted.

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