China News Agency, Taipei, September 18. An earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale occurred in Hualien, Taiwan on the afternoon of the 18th. As of press time, one victim had been found there, and about 600 others were trapped in the mountains.

  According to Taiwanese media reports such as United News Network, China Times News Network, and Central News Agency, a 69-year-old man in Yuli Township, Hualien, was injured when the factory collapsed while working in a cement ready-mix factory. He died of serious injuries after being sent to the hospital.

The earthquake caused the local mountain road to collapse. Currently, about 180 to 200 vehicles and 600 people are trapped in the mountains.

  The earthquake caused a building in Yuli Town to collapse, pressing the side of the building adjacent to a store. All four trapped people were rescued earlier.

About 20 passengers were evacuated when the platform of the Dongli Railway Station in Fuli Township collapsed, causing the train to tilt.

The Gaoliao Bridge broke after the earthquake, and all three people who were said to have fallen have been rescued.

  Considering the collapse of houses, broken roads and bridges, derailment of trains, and frequent aftershocks caused by the disaster, Xu Zhenwei, the county magistrate of Hualien County, announced that Yuli Town will suspend work and classes from the 19th.

The meteorological department of the Taiwan authorities said that this was the strongest earthquake in Taiwan this year, and related aftershocks may last for a month.

  According to the determination of the China Seismological Network, an earthquake of magnitude 6.9 occurred in Hualien County, Taiwan (23.15 degrees north latitude, 121.30 degrees east longitude) at 14:44 on September 18, with a focal depth of 10 kilometers.

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