Taiwan experienced a series of earthquakes that shook buildings and were described by the government as aftershocks from a major quake over two weeks ago.
As reported by Reuters, Taiwan's quake-hit eastern county of Hualien was rattled by more than 200 aftershocks late on Monday and early on Tuesday, but only minor damage was reported, and there were no casualties.
According to Taipei's Central Weather Administration, the first strong quake -- a magnitude 5.5 -- hit on Monday at around 5:08 pm (0908 GMT).
That was followed by a series of aftershocks and quakes, with two intense tremors hitting one after another around 2:30 am (1830 GMT) Tuesday, according to AFP reporters and witnesses in Taipei.
The Central Weather Administration said a magnitude-6.0 quake had hit at 2:26 am, followed six minutes later by a magnitude-6.3 one.
The Director of the Seismological Center, Wu Chien-fu, informed that the aftershocks were a "concentrated release of energy" and warned that more aftershocks could occur, although they might not be as powerful.
He further said that as heavy rain predicted for all of Taiwan this week, people in Hualien need to be prepared for further disruption.
While, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, on her official Facebook page called on people to avoid the mountains and to stay alert.
"When an earthquake occurs, don't panic. Master the principle of 'duck, cover, stay put'," she wrote.
Moreover, largely rural and sparsely populated Hualien was hit by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake on April 3,2024 that killed at least 17 people, and there have been more than 1,000 aftershocks since.
