Earthquakes cause injuries and damage – Taipei Times

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After the shocks likely: a park was hit by a rockfall in Taroko National Park, while a tower crane was damaged at a construction site in New Taipei City.

Written by Chen Hsien Yu and William Hetherington / Staff Reporter, Staff Writer and CNA

A series of earthquakes yesterday injured a number of people, damaged buildings and disrupted transport.

A 4.5-magnitude earthquake struck 8 km northeast of Hualien County Hall at 12:38 p.m. at a depth of 23.8 km, the Central Meteorological Bureau’s website showed.

It was followed at 1:11 p.m. by a 6.5-magnitude earthquake, whose epicenter was near Nanao Town, Yilan County, at a depth of 66.8 km.

Photo courtesy of the Central Bureau of Meteorology

This was followed by a 5.4-magnitude earthquake less than a minute later, the epicenter of which was near the town of Datong, the province (大同), at a depth of 67.3 km.

A 4.2-magnitude earthquake struck Nanao again at 2:05 p.m. at a depth of 63 km.

The 6.5-magnitude earthquake was the strongest recorded in Taiwan this year. Its severity, which measures its actual impact, reached 4 on the 7-level intensity scale in northern and northeastern Taiwan.

Image credits to a reader via Cyprus News Agency

A woman among a group of nine hikers was injured by falling rocks in Taroko National Park in Hualien County.

A car was damaged by falling rocks along the Sohwa Expressway, but no injuries were reported.

The Taipei City Fire Department has reported damage to several residential properties, including the water tower and detached cornices in Wenshan (文山) district.

Image credits to a reader via Cyprus News Agency

The larger earthquakes also damaged a tower crane in the Sinjhuang District of New Taipei City (新), causing the boom to bend 90 degrees.

Some trains and subway services have been halted so that coaches can be evacuated to teams for maintenance and safety checks.

Taiwan Power Corporation (台電) said the earthquakes triggered seismic warning systems at Jinshan Nuclear Power Plant in Shimin District of New Taipei City (石門) and Gusheng Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Wanli District (萬里), but the stations did not continue. ruin.

Photo courtesy of the Public Works Department of New Taipei City Government

Aftershocks of 4 degrees or more are expected over the next three days, the bureau said.

The center’s initial assessment was that the 5.4-magnitude quake was aftershock with a 6.5-magnitude quake, said director of the Seismology Center at Chen Kuchang (陳國昌) office.

Chen said the 6.5-magnitude quake was the largest recorded since 1973 in the subduction zone 40 km underground.

He said that the earthquake’s energy was released quickly and lasted for a short time because it occurred in a subduction zone.

He added, “We may see more aftershocks of a magnitude of 4 or more over the next three days, but there is no need to worry.”

Qin said more earthquakes of magnitude 5 or more occurred this year than in the past two years.

“The number of earthquakes over the past two years has been a bit low, so the higher number this year is likely due to the energy buildup that was waiting to be released,” Chen said. “Do not worry.”

He pointed out that the effects of yesterday’s earthquakes were felt at a far distance from their center because of their depth.

Most of northern Taiwan was hit by level four tremors from the two major earthquakes, which were not enough to cause structural damage, he said, adding that buildings in general were damaged at level 5 or higher.

In other developments, the bureau said dry and warm weather is expected in northern Taiwan from today to Wednesday with weak monsoons, after several days of rain.

A tropical depression over waters east of the Philippines could turn into a tropical storm yesterday evening, bureau meteorologist Liu Pei Ting (劉) said, but added that it would not threaten Taiwan.

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