Magnitude 4 aftershocks are possible over the next three days, after an earthquake measuring 4.9 on the Richter scale struck Tainan at 11:47am yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said.
The epicenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall in Guantian District (官田) at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed.
The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, was highest in Tainan and Chiayi County, where it measured 4 on a seven-tier intensity scale, the agency said.
Photo courtesy of the Central Weather Administration
The earthquake was caused by the collision of the Eurasian and the Philippine Sea plates to the east of Taiwan, Seismological Center Director Wu Chien-fu (吳健富) said.
As the depth of the earthquake was shallow, only a few aftershocks are expected, Wu said, adding that future aftershocks are likely to be about a magnitude 4.
After the earthquake, two high-speed rail trains were temporarily halted and inspected, while trains on the route between Dounan Station in Yunlin County and Gangshan Station in Kaohsiung operated at reduced speeds, the operator said.
A resident living on the seventh floor of a building in Tainan’s West Central District (中西) said that he was about to go out for dinner when the earthquake alarm suddenly sounded on his cell phone.
The building shook noticeably, but it only lasted for a few seconds and no items in the house fell or were damaged, he said.
Meanwhile, a magnitude 4.9 earthquake rattled Hualien County at 2:01am yesterday. The epicenter was 19.1km north from Hualien County Hall at a depth of 25.3km, CWA data showed.
The strongest tremors were felt in Hualien, Yilan and Nantou counties, where the intensity reached level 3.
There were no immediate reports of damage, but some residents in Hualien said the shaking woke them up and that memories of last year’s earthquake resurfaced.
Yesterday marked the first anniversary of one of the worst natural disasters in recent years — an earthquake measuring a 7.2 on the Richter scale struck Hualien on April 3 last year, killing 18 people and injuring more than 1,100.
Several Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) officials including Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) are to be summoned for questioning and then transferred to prosecutors for holding an illegal assembly in Taipei last night, the Taipei Police said today. Chu and two others hosted an illegal assembly and are to be requested to explain their actions, the Taipei City Police Department's Zhongzheng (中正) First Precinct said, referring to a protest held after Huang Lu Chin-ju (黃呂錦茹), KMT Taipei's chapter director, and several other KMT staffers were questioned for alleged signature forgery in recall petitions against Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators. Taipei prosecutors had filed
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
NEW WORLD: Taiwan is pursuing innovative approaches to international relations through economics, trade and values-based diplomacy, the foreign minister said Taiwan would implement a “three-chain strategy” that promotes democratic values in response to US tariffs, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said. Taiwan would aim to create a “global democratic value chain,” seek to capitalize on its position within the first island chain and promote a “non-red supply chain,” Lin was quoted as saying in the ministry’s written report to the Legislative Yuan submitted ahead of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee meeting slated for today. The Ministry would also uphold a spirit of mutual beneficial collaboration, maintaining close communication and consultations with Washington to show that Taiwan-US cooperation
RSS