Taiwan Guncang Earthquake From Monday Night To Tuesday Morning, There Are No Reports Of Casualties

Illustration. (Unsplash/Jens Aber)

JAKARTA - Dozens of earthquakes rocked the Hualien region in eastern Taiwan on Monday night and Tuesday morning, but only minor damage was reported and there were no casualties, authorities said.

Buildings in most areas north, east, and west of Taiwan, including in the capital, Taipei, sway throughout the night, with the largest earthquake measuring 6.3 SR. Everything is very shallow.

Taiwan's Central Weather Agency said the series of earthquakes that occurred from Monday afternoon, which are expected to occur more than 200 times, were aftershocks from a major earthquake that occurred on April 3, quoted by Reuters on April 23.

"Moreover, at 2 am, the shock was very strong. In fact, I thought about going down immediately, but because we live on the sixth floor, I find it a bit difficult to go down," said Taipei resident Aden Peng (44) who works as a medical researcher.

"Besides, based on my previous experience, I think it should be fine and hope it will be okay," added Peng.

"And because I was so tired, I kept sleeping, hoping for the best," he said.

Sementara itu, Direktur Pusat Seismologi Wu Chien-fu mengatakan kepada wartawan, gempa susulan adalah "pelepasan energi yang terkonsensi" dan kemungkinan akan terjadi lebih banyak lagi, meski mungkin tidak sekuat itu.

With the forecast for heavy rains across Taiwan this week, people in Hualien must be prepared for further disruptions, he added.

Separately, the Hualien fire department said two buildings, which were uninhabited after being damaged on April 3, suffered further and lopsided damage. So far, there have been no reports of casualties.

In the mountainous area of Hualien, several roads were reportedly closed after landslides, leaving the government to lay off jobs and schools that day.

Previously, Hualien, which was mostly a rural area and a rare population. hit by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake on April 3, which killed at least 14 people, and since then there have been a number of aftershocks.

Taiwan is located near the intersection of two tectonic plates and prone to earthquakes.

More than 100 people died in an earthquake in southern Taiwan in 2016, while an earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale killed more than 2,000 people in 1999.