An earthquake measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale rattled the nation yesterday morning, while another temblor of almost the same magnitude occurred five hours later, the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) said yesterday.
The bureau said that the first earthquake struck at 9am, with the epicenter located 37km southeast of the observation station in Mingchien (民間), Nantou County.
The earthquake was felt nationwide, with Tsaolin (草嶺) in Yunlin County registering the highest intensity at 4.
The depth of the earthquake was 13.3km, the bureau said.
Another earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale struck at 2:10pm.
The epicenter was 15km northwest of the CWB’s observation station in Yuli (玉里), Hualien County.
The earthquake was 2.5km deep and the highest intensity of 5 was felt in Hongyeh (紅葉), Hualien County.
Because Nantou suffered the most damage in the 921 Earthquake in 1999, yesterday morning’s quake reminded some residents of the traumatic experiences they had 10 years ago.
SHAKING
Eastern TV News broadcast an interview with residents in Chichi (集集), Nantou County, the epicenter of the 921 Earthquake.
One man said yesterday’s quake felt like it was only slightly smaller than the 921 quake.
Another woman said she was so terrified that she could not even run.
The director of the CWB’s seismological center, Kuo Kai-wen (郭鎧紋), said the earthquake in Mingchien occurred because of the extrusion of the Philippine sea plate and the Eurasia plate.
“The energy had built up and needed to be released,” Kuo said. “A big earthquake occurs when more of that energy is released.”
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
RSS