 "Earthquake of 6.1 magnitude hits Taiwan's east coast")
A 6.1-magnitude earthquake hit off Taiwan’s east coast Friday (August 16) morning, the United States Geological Survey said. The tremor struck at 7:35 am (local time) at a depth of 15 kilometres near the city of Hualien.
The island territory’s Central Weather Administration initially reported the earthquake magnitude as 6.3. The CWA also issued mobile phone alerts warning people to “keep calm and seek cover nearby”.
Taiwan’s National Fire Agency issued a statement confirming “no report of damages” at around 8 am there. The island experiences frequent earthquakes due to its location between two tectonic plates.
On Thursday (August 15), Taiwan’s northeastern region was hit by an earthquake of 5.4 magnitude just after 5 pm there. According to the USGS, it hit at a shallow depth of 11 kilometres in the sea.
The last major earthquake in Taiwan occurred in early April. The magnitude of the tremors then was 7.4 on the Richter scale. Officials had then said that it was the strongest quake in 25 years.
At least 17 people were killed by this natural disaster, which had triggered landslides and severely damaged buildings around the epicentre near Hualien.
With inputs from AFP
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