Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau stated that there were three earthquakes in Hualien County in eastern Taiwan on Saturday (April 28th), with the largest measuring a magnitude of 6.1 on the Richter scale. However, no reports of damage have been received so far.
According to the latest information from the Central Weather Bureau of Taiwan, the three earthquakes occurred in the early hours of Saturday at 2:21 am, 2:45 am, and 2:49 am, with Richter magnitudes of 6.1, 4.7, and 5.8 respectively. The epicenters were all in Hualien, with buildings in Taipei also experiencing shaking.
The Bureau stated that the first earthquake had a depth of 24.9 kilometers (15.5 miles), with the epicenter located 23.0 kilometers northeast of the Hualien County Government Building (off the coast of Hualien County), with maximum intensity of 4 in Hualien, Yilan, Nantou, Taichung, Taoyuan, Hsinchu County, and New Taipei City.
The second earthquake had a depth of 33.2 kilometers, with the epicenter located 23.4 kilometers north of the Hualien County Government Building (in Xiulin Township, Hualien), and a maximum intensity of 3 in Hualien and Yilan.
The depth of the third earthquake was 18.9 kilometers (11.7 miles), with a maximum intensity of 4 in Hualien, Yilan, Nantou, Taichung, and Hsinchu County.
Since the 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Hualien earlier this month, Taiwan has experienced over 1,000 aftershocks, resulting in 17 deaths.
Earlier this week, the Central Weather Bureau reported that from Monday night (April 22nd) to early Tuesday morning, there were over eighty earthquakes off Taiwan’s east coast, with the strongest measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale, felt in Taipei with some buildings shaking.
The earthquakes have been concentrated in the eastern part of Hualien County. The Bureau stated that the earthquake on Monday night had a depth of 8.6 kilometers, with the epicenter located 26.5 kilometers southwest of the Hualien County Government Building (in Shoufeng Township, Hualien).
On April 21st in the morning, a 5.6 magnitude earthquake struck near the sea area of Hualien, felt across Taiwan.
Taiwan is located at the junction of two tectonic plates, making it prone to frequent earthquakes.
In 2016, a seismic event in southern Taiwan claimed the lives of over a hundred people, while the 1999 7.3 magnitude earthquake resulted in over two thousand casualties.