6.1-Magnitude Earthquake Hits Taiwan No Major Damage Reported

The U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center said there was a tsunami threat from the quake.

However, the Kamchatka branch of Russia’s emergency ministry reported no threat of tsunami and that the recorded aftershocks from the quake ranged in magnitude from 3.9 to 5.0.

“Most of the aftershocks are imperceptible,” the regional emergency authority said on Telegram.

Earlier this month, a 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck off Taiwan’s east coast, the United States Geological Survey said, with the island’s government confirming there were no reports of major damage.

6.1-magnitude earthquake shakes Taiwan

The tremor, which could be felt in the capital Taipei, hit at 7:35 am (2335 GMT) at a depth of 15 kilometers (about nine miles) near Hualien, the epicenter of a major quake in April, according to the USGS.

Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration, which initially reported a 6.3-magnitude quake, issued a mobile phone alert warning people to “keep calm and seek cover nearby”.

According to the local fire bureau, two people trapped in elevators during the quake were rescued in Hualien.

But the National Fire Agency said there was no major damage and that the island’s high-speed trains, rail, and metro systems were all operating normally.

Still, the government urged vigilance in the wake of a 5.4-magnitude quake that triggered an alert.