An earthquake was registered roughly 71 kilometers (44.1 miles) south of Hualien City in Taiwan, according to monitoring agencies.
The tremor struck shortly after cell phone alarms activated around 7:01 p.m. on Wednesday evening. The United States Geological Survey measured the earthquake’s magnitude at 5.9, with a depth of 31.1 kilometers (19.3 miles). However, Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration reported a slightly higher magnitude of 6.4. Discrepancies in reported magnitudes are common due to variations in detection equipment and locations.
In Taipei, buildings experienced shaking for approximately a minute, although no immediate reports of significant damage surfaced. Hualien, situated 154 kilometers (95.6 miles) south of the bustling capital of Taipei, has a lower population density compared to Taiwan’s western region, which frequently experiences seismic activity. This island is part of the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a zone of seismic activity encircling the Pacific Ocean where the majority of the planet’s earthquakes occur.
Taiwan’s severest recent quake occurred in 1999, where a magnitude 7.7 earthquake caused 2,415 fatalities and extensive structural damage. The tragedy led to stricter building codes, improved emergency responses, and widespread dissemination of earthquake preparedness information. Regular earthquake drills occur in schools and workplaces, and cell phones provide alerts when significant earthquakes are detected. These efforts have notably mitigated earthquake-related damages since then.
(Note: A prior account mistakenly indicated the earthquake happened on Tuesday night.)