The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday warned of possible aftershocks following a magnitude 6.1 earthquake that struck Taitung County in the early evening, with tremors expected to reach 5.5 or higher over the next week.
The quake hit at 5:47pm about 10.1km north of Taitung County Hall, at a depth of 11.9km, according to the CWA.
Photo: CNA
The earthquake's intensity, which measures the tremor's actual effects, was highest at 5- in Beinan Township, Taitung, and reached 4 in other parts of Taitung as well as Hualien and Pingtung counties, CWA data showed.
The quake was followed by several quakes that were over a magnitude of 4 earlier today, CWA data showed.
The three quakes ranging from a magnitude of 4.0 to 4.6 hit at 3:41am, 4:40am and 10:44am about 17.4km, 15.8km and 18.4 km north-northwest of Taitung County, at a depth of 8.1km, 8.4km and 12km respectively, CWA data showed.
The magnitude 6.1 earthquake yesterday was a shallow event triggered by the ongoing collision of the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian Plate, Wu Chien-fu (吳健富), director of the CWA's Seismological Center, said at a press briefing.
Wu warned that aftershocks of magnitude 5.5 to 6 are possible within the next week and advised the public to remain alert.
Within a 30-kilometer radius of the quake's epicenter, 28 earthquakes of magnitude 5.0 or above have been recorded, including a 6.2-magnitude quake in April 2006, Wu said.
Yesterday's earthquake hit during dinner hours, sending many Taitung residents rushing outdoors. Shelves toppled in local supermarkets and stores, and sections of the ceiling at National Taitung University Affiliated Physical Education Senior High School collapsed, though no injuries were reported.
Train services were temporarily suspended along the Taitung line due to electrical disruptions, with buses used to shuttle passengers to their destinations.
As of 7:30pm, rail services between Guanshan and Taitung had resumed after inspections confirmed it was safe to do so, while services between Taitung and Jinlun remained suspended.
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