Four injured as earthquake rocks Taiwan

June 11, 2000
Web posted at: 7:12 a.m. HKT (2312 GMT)

From staff and wire reports

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- An earthquake measuring a preliminary magnitude of 6.7 struck a largely uninhabited mountain area 200 miles south of Taiwan's capital Taipei on Saturday morning, injuring four people, seismologists said.

The Central Weather Bureau, the country's official earthquake monitoring center, said the quake occurred at 2.23 a.m. (1823 GMT) and was felt throughout the island.

It was centered 47 kilometers (29 miles) north of the sparsely populated Jade Mountain in central Taiwan. The United States Geological Survey in Colorado Springs, Colorado, recorded a preliminary measurement of magnitude 6.1, said spokesman Bill Smith.

Five aftershocks measuring between magnitudes of 4.7 and 5.1 struck in the next hour and were centered north of Jade Mountain, the bureau said.

ALSO Significant quakes in Taiwan area, 1980-1999     MAGNITUDE GUIDE Below is an interactive guide to earthquake magnitude and severity: Magnitude: Less than 3.5 3.5 - 5.4 Under 6.0 6.1 - 6.9 7.0 - 7.9 8 or greater     GALLERY Major quakes 1980-1999

One injured after second-floor jump

One person was slightly injured after he jumped from his second-floor home in central Taiwan, independent cable broadcaster TVBS said.

The Broadcasting Corp. of China reported that three other people were injured by broken glass when they fled from their homes.

The epicenter was close to a devastating earthquake on September 21 last year, which measured between 7.3 and 7.6.

That tremor and a series of strong aftershocks killed 2,400 people and destroyed 52,000 buildings on the island.

The quake was the sixth in Europe and Asia this week: two shook southern Sumatra within five days of each other; a 4.9-magnitude tremor hit Japan and a 6.6-magnitude quake hit Myanmar (both on Thursday); a 5.9-magnitude tremor hit Anatolia, in central Turkey, on Tuesday.

The first Sumatran quake, of magnitude 7.9 killed nearly 100 people last Sunday, the Turkish quake killed three and injured dozens.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Global Earthquake Response Center
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World Vision
Government Information Office, Taiwan
Taiwan Resources
Inside China

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