Taiwan was rocked by a series of earthquakes on Monday and early Tuesday, the strongest with a magnitude of 6.3, which partially toppled two buildings and kept frightened residents awake overnight. The tremors were aftershocks of the 7.4 magnitude earthquake that killed 17 people three weeks ago, officials said.
The tremors began shortly after 5 p.m. local time on Monday with a magnitude 5.5 earthquake in Hualien County on Taiwan’s east coast, according to Wu Chien-fu, director of the Seismological Center of the Central Meteorological Administration. from Taiwan. Minutes later a series of small tremors occurred in the same area.
Two buildings in Hualien City partially collapsed, some residents were evacuated and schools and offices in Hualien County were ordered closed on Tuesday due to the threat of continued tremors, according to local media. As of Tuesday morning, no injuries or deaths had been reported.
Mr. Wu said at a news conference on Monday night that the quakes were aftershocks of the deadly April 3 quake, which was the strongest to hit Taiwan in 25 years. The epicenter of that earthquake also occurred in the Hualien County area.
As of Tuesday morning, more than 180 tremors had been recorded in the previous 24 hours, according to the Central Meteorological Administration. The strongest occurred at 2:26 a.m., magnitude 6, off the east coast of Taiwan, and at 2:32 a.m., magnitude 6.3, about 10 miles off Hualien County. The last major tremor occurred around 8 a.m. Tuesday, according to the Central Meteorological Administration.
Chen Mei-hui, 58, a retired saleswoman who lives in Hualien, said the tremors had put her in a “very torturous mood.”
“I haven’t been able to sleep well since the earthquake this month,” he said Tuesday morning. “We can only pray that our house is strong enough to get us through this difficult time.”
Chris Buckley contributed with reports.