On Monday and Tuesday, Taiwan was rocked by a series of earthquakes, the greatest of which registered 6.3 on the Richter scale. Because of this, four buildings were partially toppled, and people were terrified through the night. According to the officials, the vibrations were aftershocks from a 7.4 magnitude earthquake that killed 17 people three weeks ago.
Taiwanese Seismological Center director Wu Chien-fu said the tremors began at around 5 p.m. local time after a 5.5-magnitude earthquake near Hualien County on the island’s eastern coast. Not long after that, a series of lesser earthquakes happened in the same spot.
According to reports, the tremors did not cause any casualties. Nevertheless, two multi-story structures that were already evacuated earlier this month after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake that killed 13 people and injured over 1,000 more took another hit. The earthquake struck the coastal area of rural and hilly Hualien County.
The strongest earthquake in the last quarter of a century caused a deluge of aftershocks. Due to the continuing danger of earthquakes, the county’s schools and offices were ordered to shut, and some inhabitants were evacuated. As of this morning, Tuesday, no one has been hurt or killed.
According to reports, the most recent earthquakes were a focused release of energy, and other quakes might occur in the future, albeit they might not be as robust.
Schools and government offices in Hualien will be closed on Tuesday due to the continuing aftershocks, according to the authorities. Some structures, including the Full Hotel and the adjacent Tong Shuai Building, which had already partly collapsed after the April 3 earthquake and were about to be demolished, took much more damage.
In response to the devastating earthquake that occurred on April 3, the government of Taiwan has set aside more than $20 billion (or $614.9 million) to aid with relief and rebuilding.
