Aftershocks hit Taiwan after quake leaves hundreds stranded
18 September 2022 - 17:36
byBen Blanchard and Yimou Lee
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Firefighters work at the site where a building collapsed following a 6.8-magnitude earthquake, in Yuli, Hualien county, Taiwan, September 18 2022. Pictuer: TAIWAN 0918 EARTHQUAKE CENTRAL EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTRE/REUTERS
Taipei — A 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit the sparsely populated southeastern part of Taiwan on Sunday, the island’s weather bureau said, derailing train carriages, causing a convenience store to collapse and trapping hundreds on mountain roads.
The weather bureau said the epicentre was in Taitung county, and followed a 6.4 magnitude temblor on Saturday evening in the same area, which caused no casualties.
The US Geological Survey measured Sunday’s quake at a magnitude of 7.2 and at a depth of 10km.
Taiwan’s fire department said all four people were rescued from a building housing a convenience store that collapsed in Yuli, while three people whose vehicle fell off a damaged bridge were rescued and taken to hospital.
The Taiwan Railways Administration said six carriages came off the rails at Dongli station in eastern Taiwan after part of the platform canopy collapsed, but the fire department said there were no injuries.
More than 600 people are trapped on the scenic Chike and Liushishi mountain areas by blocked roads, though there were no injuries and rescuers were working to reopen the roads, the department said.
A 6.8 strong quake hit us this afternoon, with an epicenter in eastern #Taiwan’s Taitung. Damage & injury reports are coming in & a command center is in action to direct emergency response. We’re an #IslandOfResilience, & will recover from this as always. JW
— 外交部 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan) 🇹🇼 (@MOFA_Taiwan) September 18, 2022
The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued a warning for Taiwan after the tremor but later lifted the alert. Japan’s weather agency lifted a tsunami warning for part of Okinawa prefecture.
The quake could be felt across Taiwan, the weather bureau said. Buildings shook in the capital Taipei and aftershocks have continued to jolt the island.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said there was “no known significant impact for now”.
Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is prone to earthquakes. More than 100 people were killed in a quake in southern Taiwan in 2016, while a 7.3 magnitude quake killed more than 2,000 people in 1999.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Aftershocks hit Taiwan after quake leaves hundreds stranded
Taipei — A 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit the sparsely populated southeastern part of Taiwan on Sunday, the island’s weather bureau said, derailing train carriages, causing a convenience store to collapse and trapping hundreds on mountain roads.
The weather bureau said the epicentre was in Taitung county, and followed a 6.4 magnitude temblor on Saturday evening in the same area, which caused no casualties.
The US Geological Survey measured Sunday’s quake at a magnitude of 7.2 and at a depth of 10km.
Taiwan’s fire department said all four people were rescued from a building housing a convenience store that collapsed in Yuli, while three people whose vehicle fell off a damaged bridge were rescued and taken to hospital.
The Taiwan Railways Administration said six carriages came off the rails at Dongli station in eastern Taiwan after part of the platform canopy collapsed, but the fire department said there were no injuries.
More than 600 people are trapped on the scenic Chike and Liushishi mountain areas by blocked roads, though there were no injuries and rescuers were working to reopen the roads, the department said.
The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued a warning for Taiwan after the tremor but later lifted the alert. Japan’s weather agency lifted a tsunami warning for part of Okinawa prefecture.
The quake could be felt across Taiwan, the weather bureau said. Buildings shook in the capital Taipei and aftershocks have continued to jolt the island.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said there was “no known significant impact for now”.
Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is prone to earthquakes. More than 100 people were killed in a quake in southern Taiwan in 2016, while a 7.3 magnitude quake killed more than 2,000 people in 1999.
Reuters
Taiwan sees the lighter side of its battles with China
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Most Read
Related Articles
Apple reportedly to use chip technology from Taiwan in Macs and iPhones
Unpredictable Solomon Islands fuels US concerns about China’s influence
Published by Arena Holdings and distributed with the Financial Mail on the last Thursday of every month except December and January.