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Yesterday (24th), a magnitude 6.5 earthquake occurred in Taiwan during the day. It was felt to be the most powerful thing that happened in Taiwan this year, but fortunately, no casualties have been reported.
Reporter Hyung-woo Jeon reports.
<Reporter> The
camera illuminating the Taipei 101 Tower suddenly starts to shake.
Parked cars shake in unison, and people in the restaurant urgently evacuate under the table.
At around 1:00 PM local time yesterday, a magnitude 6.5 earthquake occurred in Yilan County, Taiwan.
The depth of the epicenter is 66.8 km, making it the largest earthquake in Taiwan this year.
A minute later, an aftershock with a magnitude of 5.4 occurred.
[Tian Guoqiang/Director of the Earthquake Prediction Center, Taiwan Meteorological Bureau: This earthquake is the largest (subduction zone) earthquake in Yilan County in 30 years.] After a
series of powerful earthquakes, not only Taiwan but also Fujian and Hengzhou in mainland China. Vibration was also detected.
[Residents of Futian City, Fujian Province, China: The earthquake lasted for about 3 to 4 seconds, and the whole building felt like it was moving.]
Immediately after the earthquake, high-speed rail and Taipei subway operations were temporarily suspended, and the employees of TSMC, the world's largest semiconductor consignment manufacturer, also temporarily evacuated.
No casualties were reported, but a large crane at an apartment construction site in New Taipei City broke and signs and structures fell everywhere.
[Taiwan resident: There was a signboard above me.
(Did it fall due to an earthquake?) Yes, because of the earthquake.] The
Taiwan Meteorological Observatory predicted that there could be a magnitude 4 to 5 earthquake within the next three days.