An earthquake of magnitude 6.6 hit Taiwan just off its northeast coast late Saturday, with tremors felt across the island, including capital Taipei, where buildings shook.
The US Geological Survey said the earthquake took place at 11.05 pm local time, 32 kilometres from the coastal town of Yilan.
The epicentre was 70 kilometres deep, and there were no immediate reports of widespread damage or casualties.
While scared residents described residential buildings shaking first vertically and the horizontally, local TV channels showed hanging TVs swaying inside an office building, and spilled cleaning products and broken bottles that had fallen off supermarket shelves.
While electricity supply was temporarily disrupted in a Yilan town, the National Fire Agency said no major damage had taken place. The Taiwan Railway said it suspended four trains operating in Yilan town, which affected more than 270 passengers. Taipei’s metro lines were also made to run at reduced speed for around 20 minutes until clarity was received that there were no abnormalities in the stations and tracks, authorities said.
“It kept on shaking for a while. Then I ran out, but most people did not run out. I was scared,” said Yilan County, a resident.
This is the second major tremor to hit the island within a few days, after a 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck the island’s southeast on Wednesday.
In a social media post, Taiwanese President William Lai Ching-te urged residents to be alert for possible aftershocks.
Taiwan’s location on the edge of two tectonic plates near the Pacific Ring of Fire – the world’s most seismically-active zone – makes it susceptible to frequent earthquakes.
In April last year, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake that killed 17 people was touted to be the strongest in the country in 25 years. It had also triggered massive landslides and damaged buildings around Hualien city.
However, the island nation’s most severe and deadliest earthquake is said to be the one that struck in 1999, recorded at 7.6 magnitude.
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