Taiwan

1. Strongest quake: Magnitude-6.3 hits eastern Hualien.
2. Activity starts: Magnitude-5.5 tremor felt in Taipei at 5:08 pm local time.
3. Central Weather Administration monitors seismic events overnight.

Hualien, April 23: A series of earthquakes struck the capital city of Taiwan overnight and into Tuesday morning, with the strongest recorded at magnitude 6.3 in eastern Hualien, according to the Central Weather Administration.

The seismic activity began on Monday with a magnitude-5.5 quake at around 5:08 pm local time, felt in Taipei. Subsequent aftershocks and tremors followed, culminating in two intense tremors around 2:30 am Tuesday.

Residents and tourists alike experienced the shaking, with reports of buildings swaying and structural noises. The Central Weather Administration reported a magnitude-6.0 quake at 2:26 am, followed by a magnitude-6.3 one six minutes later.

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The Hualien region, already recovering from a magnitude-7.4 quake on April 3, faced renewed concerns. The earlier quake had caused landslides and significant damage, resulting in 17 fatalities. No new casualties were reported immediately after the latest tremors.

Taiwan, situated at the convergence of tectonic plates, frequently experiences earthquakes. The April 3 event triggered hundreds of aftershocks, with the region still grappling with its aftermath.

Although the April 3 quake was substantial, Taiwan’s stringent building codes and disaster preparedness helped mitigate its impact.

This contrasts with the devastating 1999 quake, which claimed thousands of lives, making it the deadliest natural disaster in the island’s history.