Monday, August 17, 2009

Tsunami alert as quake rattles Taiwan

A strong earthquake has rattled much of Taiwan, prompting a tsunami warning from neighboring Japan.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage and the tsunami warning was later lifted.

The epicenter of the quake, which struck at 8.05am (12.05NZT), was about 188km southeast of Hualien on Taiwan's east coast at a depth of 11km, the island's Central Weather Bureau said in a statement.

The US Geological Survey put the magnitude at 6.7 after a first estimation of 6.9. It was felt as a magnitude two or three around much of the island.

Earthquakes occur frequently in Taiwan, which lies to the southeast of China on a seismically active stretch of the Pacific basin.

Taiwan is still recovering from a typhoon that struck on August 8, causing widespread mudslides and flooding. President Ma Ying-jeou has estimated the eventual death toll from the storm at more than 500.

One of Taiwan's worst-recorded quakes occurred in September 1999. Measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale, it killed more than 2400 people and destroyed or damaged 50,000 buildings.

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