Hundreds of Aftershocks Rock Taiwan, No Severe Damage

In the aftershock of the earthquake on Monday night until early Tuesday morning, buildings in the northern, eastern, and western regions of Taiwan, including the capital Taipei, shook all night. It was reported that there was additional damage to several buildings that were previously uninhabitable following the large earthquake earlier this April.

US Geological Survey (USGS) data shows that the strongest earthquake early Tuesday morning had a magnitude of 6.1 with an epicenter located 28 kilometers south of the city of Hualien, which was the center of a major earthquake earlier in April, at a depth of 10.7 kilometers. Aftershocks with lower magnitudes, ranging from M 4.5 to M 6, all occurred near Hualien.

Taiwan's earthquake monitoring center recorded the strongest earthquake at night with a magnitude of 6.3. The largest earthquake that occurred early Tuesday morning had a local magnitude (Ml) of 6.3, following the previous earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0. Since the earthquake early Tuesday morning, Taiwan's Central Weather Administration (CWA) recorded that there had been more than 200 aftershocks.

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Several aftershocks could be felt on the upper floors of an apartment building in Taipei, as well as in a 150-kilometer area, including steep mountains in the northwest region.

The government and disaster management authorities in the city of Hualien and its surroundings have ordered the closure of schools and offices on Tuesday (23/4/2024) due to the continuing aftershocks of the earthquake. Residents are also temporarily asked to leave their homes that were damaged in the early April's major earthquake. Some residents decided to wait in their respective vehicles or outside their homes.

However, there are also residents who are reluctant to leave their homes. Aden Peng (44), for example, admitted that he is unwilling to come down from his apartment on the sixth floor.

"At 2 in the morning, the tremor was very strong. I even thought about going downstairs immediately. But, because I live on the sixth floor, I felt it was a bit inconvenient to go down," Peng said. He admitted to feeling tired and chose to continue sleeping.

A full hotel in downtown Hualien appears tilted. Some of the hotel buildings collapsed during the earthquake. There were no occupants in the hotel during the earthquake as it was undergoing renovation.

The Tong Shuai building nearby is also empty. The building was marked for demolition due to damage from the earthquake on April 3rd. Hualien firefighters stated that both buildings were unoccupied due to damage caused by the earthquake on April 3rd.

Many aftershocks

Director of the Wu Chien-fu Seismology Center warned of the potential for many aftershocks following the initial earthquake early Tuesday morning, even though its strength has greatly diminished. In addition, he added that the forecast of heavy rain in most parts of Taiwan this week could further disrupt the lives of residents in Hualien.

At 2am, the shaking was very strong. In fact, I even thought about going downstairs immediately.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has asked the public to temporarily avoid mountainous areas. She also urged residents not to panic when an earthquake occurs. "Master the principles of bowing down, protecting oneself (especially the head), and staying put," she wrote on her Facebook page.

So far, there have been no reports of fatalities from the earthquake. The world's largest chip producer, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), has reported that a small number of its staff were evacuated. However, the facilities and safety systems around the production facilities are functioning normally.

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TSMC factories are located in the west coastal region. "At present, we estimate that there will be no impact from any earthquake on our operational activities," TSMC management said in a written statement.

Investors were not affected by the earthquake. This was proven by the rise of TSMC's stock price by 1.6 percent at the close of the morning trading session on the Taiwan Stock Exchange. (AP/REUTERS)