Taiwan's quake 2nd strongest since 1999; aftershocks warned

A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Taiwan late Saturday, the strongest since the 7.3 Nantou quake in 1999 and last year's 7.2 Hualien quake, with authorities warning of possible aftershocks of magnitude 5.5-6.0 over the next week. Authorities have reported no major injuries from the earthquake.

The magnitude 7.0 earthquake jolted Taiwan at 11:05 p.m., with its epicenter offshore about 32.3 kilometers east of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 72.8 km, shaking 17 cities north of Tainan and eastern counties, where it reached intensity level 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier scale.

According to an expert at the Central Weather Administration, the quake was relatively unlikely to cause serious damage as it occurred at a considerable depth and its epicenter was offshore.

In Hualien, the shaking lasted 21 seconds, while in Taipei, New Taipei, Hsinchu, Taoyuan, and Miaoli it lasted around 10 seconds.

The 1999 earthquake killed more than 2,400 people, injured thousands, and caused widespread destruction in central Taiwan. The Hualien earthquake left 20 dead and over 1,000 injured.

(Staff reporter and Focus Taiwan)