A 6.1-magnitude earthquake has jolted Hualien, Taiwan, causing highrises in Taipei to sway violently and school children to flee their classrooms in eastern Yilan county on April 18, 2019 (UTC). The same city was hit by a magnitude 6.4 earthquake last year that killed 17 people.
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake has struck Taiwan’s coastal city of Hualien, shaking buildings and temporarily suspending subway services in the capital Taipei, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
TAIWAN EARTHQUAKE: Lights swaying and flickering in this office in Hualien as a 6.1-magnitude quake rattled the city https://t.co/N8BO77J2Mc pic.twitter.com/CFS2ODFOh7
— CNA (@ChannelNewsAsia) April 18, 2019
Local television footage showed school children being evacuated from buildings, while a weather bureau official said Thursday’s quake was the largest to hit the island so far this year.
A 6.4-magnitude earthquake hits coastal city Hualian of Taiwan at 0301 GMT today – strong tremors were felt in Fujian province southeast China – May our brothers and sisters in Taiwan be safe and God bless pic.twitter.com/WXg55lJCGw
— Eva Zheng 郑怡斌 عائشة (@evazhengll) April 18, 2019
It struck at 1:01pm local time (05:01 GMT) at a depth of 18km.
Map of felt reports received so far following the #earthquake M6.1 in Taiwan 45 min ago pic.twitter.com/Mvl139Mbcp
— EMSC (@LastQuake) April 18, 2019
Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is prone to earthquakes. More than 100 people were killed in an earthquake in the island’s south in 2016, and in 1999, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake killed more than 2,000 people.
“We felt the quake move the building vertically and that’s more serious than normal,” Georgia Kao, a Taipei resident explained.
VIDEO: People running to safety in Taiwan the moment a 6.1-magnitude earthquake hit the coastal city of Hualien. https://t.co/ZWtRu8cvHb
— CNA (@ChannelNewsAsia) April 18, 2019
(Video: Reuters/APTN) pic.twitter.com/SluUTGr2T7
“I felt very scared. It reminded me of the 1999 earthquake. The building moved up and down and then right to left. The first thing I did was to open my door and grab both my daughters. Luckily, it didn’t last very long.“
6.0-magnitude earthquake has jolted Taiwan, causing highrises in Taipei to sway violently and school children to flee their classrooms in eastern Yilan county, according to reports #earthquake #Taiwan pic.twitter.com/T2Qlk2Wyk9
— ZAKIR KHAN (@MyZakirKhan) April 18, 2019
The United States Geological Survey put the magnitude of the earthquake at 6.4 before being downgraded to M6.1.
The Japan Meteorological Agency warned that people living near the coast could notice some effects on sea levels, but said there would be no tsunami.
RT Echinanews "#Latest on Taiwan earthquake:
— 许 (@fuqianggu) April 18, 2019
– Tremor felt in Fujian and Zhejiang provinces
– Taiwan's high-speed rail shut down for at least 20 min
– People reportedly trapped in Taiwan's Hualien County
– Two tourists reportedly injured by falli… pic.twitter.com/lleBww6kg3"
“Due to this earthquake, Japan’s coastal areas may observe slight changes on the oceanic surface, but there is no concern about damage,” the agency said.
Hualien was hit by a magnitude 6.4 earthquake last year that killed 17 people.
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[USGS, Al Jazeera]
