Magnitude 6.5 earthquake shakes Taiwan

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A map shows the impact of a 6.5 magnitude earthquake in southeastern Taiwan on Saturday, using a seismic intensity scale. Image by Taiwan Central Weather Bureau

Sept. 17 (UPI) — A magnitude 6.5 earthquake rocked southeastern Taiwan Saturday, the US Geological Survey confirmed.

The quake hit at 9:41 am EDT and local media had not reported any deaths as of mid-morning Saturday.

The government agency Geoscience Australia measured the quake with a magnitude of 6.6.

The epicenter was located around 59.6 miles east of Yujing, a rural district in eastern Tainan, Taiwan, according to the USGS.

Taitung and Hualien counties felt the largest effects, while Kaohsiung and its 2.7 million inhabitants was the most-affected city. The city’s metro system was closed temporarily, with five aftershocks reported. Photos showed objects falling from store shelves from severe shaking of buildings.

Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau uses a seismic intensity scale ranging from 1 to 7. Saturday’s earthquake reached 6 and 6+ in some areas.

The capital of Taipei felt a 2 on the intensity scale. Many coastal areas experienced between 3 and 4 on the scale.

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