More than 70 aftershocks rattle Taiwan after M6.8 tremor
Beijing, Sep 19 (EFE).- More than 70 aftershocks, including a magnitude-5.9 tremor on Monday, have hit Taiwan since a shallow M6.8 quake the previous day.
Sunday’s strongest quake was located at a depth of 7 kilometers, and the series of tremors over the past 24 hours have caused at least one death and injured 79.
According to the island’s Central Bureau of Meteorology, Monday’s M5.9 tremor occurred in Hualien county at 10.07 am local time (02:07 GMT) at a depth of 13.4 km.
The earthquakes have caused personal and structural damage on the island, leaving around 400 people trapped on Mount Liushishi due to landslides and rocks that have blocked roads.
Three bridges in Hualien collapsed or suffered structural damage in various sections, local news agency CNA reported.
The quake also caused transportation disruptions in eastern Taiwan, where six train cars derailed at Dongli station without causing injuries, however it did create a temporary suspension of services on the line between Hualien and Taitung.
More than 7,000 households in Yuli township were left without power, and neighborhoods in various cities, including the capital Taipei, suffered blackouts as a result of the earthquakes.
Taiwan sits at the confluence of the Philippine and Eurasian plates, so earthquakes are frequent on the island. EFE
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