China News Agency, Taipei, March 23. An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.6 on the Richter scale occurred at 1:41 a.m. off the coast of Hualien, Taiwan, on the 23rd, and a 6.1-magnitude aftershock occurred at 1:43.
Aftershocks continued throughout the night, until 8:10, there were 52 aftershocks, at least 30 of which were larger than magnitude 3.
According to reports from the Central News Agency, Lianhe Daily and other media, according to the Taiwan Meteorological Department, the depth of the earthquake was 30.6 kilometers, and the epicenter was 62.6 kilometers south of the Hualien County Government (offshore of Hualien County). , Nantou, Miaoli, Kaohsiung, Yunlin, Tainan, Yilan, Hsinchu County, Chiayi City, Chiayi County, Changhua, Taichung 4.
Due to the continuous aftershocks, many people in eastern Taiwan could not sleep through the night.
According to the current disaster statistics, many places in Hualien and Taitung have cracked roads, broken bridges during construction, deformed houses, and broken water pipes in fishermen's shrimp ponds.
Chen Guochang, director of the Earthquake Prediction Center of the Taiwan Meteorological Department, said the earthquake was caused by the collision between the Philippine Sea plate and the Eurasian plate.
With a magnitude of 6.6 and an intensity of 6, it is the largest earthquake in Taiwan so far this year, and the fourth largest earthquake after the "9.21" earthquake in 1999.
Chen Guochang said that after the earthquake occurred in the early morning, aftershocks are still increasing.
It is not ruled out that there will be aftershocks of about 5.5 in the next three days.
The annual average of earthquakes of magnitude 6 or above in Taiwan is 2.5, but this year plus one earthquake in January has occurred 3.
Globally, there seems to be seismic activity.
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