Moderate Quake Rocks Taiwan, No Damage ReportedA moderate earthquake jolted Taiwan early on Tuesday but government officials said there were no immediate reports of casualties or any major damage.Seismologists at the Central Weather Bureau said the earthquake which struck at 2210 GMT registered 5.7 on the open-ended Richter scale. It was centred 77.5 km (48 miles) east of the northeastern coastal city of Ilan. The quake was felt in most parts of the island, but the interior ministry said it had no reports of casualties or damage. Taiwan lies on a seismically active stretch of the Pacific basin and earthquakes occur frequently. An major earthquake last September, 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 scale and linked to the devastating September 1999 quake, rocked Taiwan killing two and injuring more than 30. |
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