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Three Quakes Rock Taiwan, No Major Damage Reported
Three earthquakes rattled Taiwan late on Thursday and early Friday, but government officials said there were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage.
Seismologists at the Central Weather Bureau said the first earthquake occurred at 20:35 Beijing Time Thursday and registered 4.4 on the open-ended Richter scale. It was centred 19.9 km (12.4 miles) south of the central city of Taichung and felt in some neighbouring towns.
The second quake hit at 1:36 Beijing Time Friday and registered 5.0 on the Richter scale. It was centred 14.5 km (9.1 miles) east of the eastern coastal city of Hualien and felt in some neighbouring towns.
The third quake hit at 6:01 Beijing Time Friday and registered 5.5 on the Richter scale. The quake was centred 18.8 km (11.8 miles) east of the eastern coastal city of Hualien and felt in most northern and eastern parts of Taiwan.
Taiwan lies on a seismically active stretch of the Pacific basin and earthquakes occur frequently.
An earthquake on September 21, 1999, measuring between 7.3 to 7.6 on the Richter scale, and a series of strong aftershocks killed 2,400 people and wrecked 52,000 buildings on the island.
An earthquake on June 11 this year, measuring 6.7 on the Richter and linked to the devastating September 1999 quake, rocked Taiwan killing two and injuring more than 30.
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