TMCnet News
Strong quake jolts eastern Taiwan, 42 people injured(China Post Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)A strong earthquake, measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale, jolted eastern Taiwan at 6:02 p.m. yesterday, leaving 42 people injured in Taitung County, eastern Taiwan, according to the Central Weather Bureau (CWB). The quake was centered 5.5 kilometers east of Binan township in Taitung, at a depth of 10 kilometers, CWB said, The quake was quickly followed by two aftershocks, the first just three minutes later and measuring 4.7, and the second 30 minutes later at 4.8, the CWB said. A third aftershock measuring 4.2 took place at 7:53 p.m. "It is a relatively shallow quake, making the impact even more obvious," a CWB official said. The powerful quake was felt in most areas in Taiwan with skyscrapers in Taipei shaking in a slow up-and-down movement. Scattered accidents, such as gas leaks, power failures, collapsed walls and people trapped in elevators, were reported across the island. The quake took place when Taitung County just finished a by-election of the county magistrate. Newly elected magistrate Kuang Li-chen of the Kuomintang was the busy greeting to her supporters when the quake occurred. Many jittery residents were seen on TV footage rushing from homes to the open streets, and parents were seen comforting their children. The fire department of the Taitung County set up an emergency handling center and dispatched helicopters to monitor the casualties and offer first aids. Quakes frequently rattle Taiwan, as it lies on the circum-Pacific seismic belt that links the Aleutuan Islands, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, New Zealand, Chile and the U.S. West Coast. Some 68 percent of the world's earthquakes strike this area. Most quakes hitting Taiwan are minor and cause little or no damage. However, a 7.6-magnitude earthquake in central Taiwan on September 21, 1999, killed more than 2,300 people, and destroyed or damaged 50,000 buildings. |