TAIPEI, April 23: Taiwan was rattled early Tuesday morning by 6.3- and 6.0-magnitude earthquakes, authorities said, following a series of smaller tremors the previous day, reported German news agency (dpa).
The 6.3-magnitude earthquake occurred at 2:32 am (1832 GMT Monday) at a depth of 5.5 kilometres, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicentre was about 17.2 kilometres south-south-west of Hualien County Hall in eastern Taiwan.
It was preceded by 6.0-magnitude at 2:26 am at a depth of 10 kilometres.
The quakes were strongly felt by residents in Taiwan’s capital Taipei.
Beginning late Monday, Taiwan was hit by dozens of shallow earthquakes centred around Hualien, including a 5.9-magnitude jolt.
On April 3, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit the island nation, killing at least 17 people. The last body of a victim was found on April 13 in a rock quarry in the eastern city of Hualien, near the quake’s epicentre.
No casualties have been reported from the latest quakes, the National Fire Agency said early Tuesday. But it said that teams in Hualien observed two empty buildings damaged on April 3 that were now tilting.
