Magnitude 6.1 Quake Hits Hualien, Leaving 17 Injured & 2 Taipei Buildings Tilting

 Magnitude 6.1 Quake Hits Hualien, Leaving 17 Injured & 2 Taipei Buildings Tilting

Source: UDN

April 19, 2019

The Central Weather Bureau (CWB) reported yesterday that on April 18, at 1:01 p.m., a magnitude 6.1 on the Richter scale struck the Hualien area, east Taiwan, with the epicenter in the Xiulin Township, Hualien County, and at a depth of 19 km.

The Central Emergency Operations Center pointed out that the earthquake left 17 injured, two buildings in Taipei City tilting, and public transport services temporarily suspended, including the Taipei MRT system, the railways and, the High Speed Rail. In addition, the Central Cross-Island Highway was closed until 8:00 a.m. this morning, it concluded.

Chen Kuo-chang (陳國昌), director of the CWB’s Seismology Center, stated that this was the first earthquake with magnitude above 6.0 on the Richter scale this year, adding that it should not be considered a normal release of energy, so the possibility of aftershocks with a magnitude of 5 or above in the next week could not be ruled out.

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