A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck northeastern Taiwan’s Yilan County at 5:28 a.m. this morning (Aug. 8), according to the Central Weather Bureau (CWB).
The epicenter of the temblor was 36.5 kilometers southeast of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 22.5 kilometers, based on CWB data.
The quake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of the tremor, registered a 6 in Yilan County and a 4 in Hualien County, New Taipei City, Taipei City, Hsinchu County, Taoyuan City, and Taichung City. An intensity level of 3 was felt in Nantou County, Keelung City, Miaoli County, Hsinchu City, Changhua County, and Yunlin County.
An intensity level of 2 was recorded in Chiayi County, Chiayi City, and Tainan City. An intensity level of 1 was reported in Taitung County, Kaohsiung City, Pingtung County, and Penghu County.
Located along the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, Taiwan uses an intensity scale of 1 to 7, which gauges the degree to which a quake is felt in a specific location.
Reports are filtering in of products falling off of store shelves and ceiling tiles falling in Yilan County. A woman in Taipei was reported to be in critical condition after her wardrobe fell on her during the initial 6.0 quake.
The MRT in Taipei is already running normally and Taiwan’s High Speed Rail is expected to resume normal operations shortly. Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) train tracks are currently being inspected in Yilan City and Nan’ao, Taiwan, but the rest of the TRA’s trains are expected to operate normally.
CWB officials are warning the public to beware of aftershocks.
