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Taiwan rattled overnight by 6.7-magnitude earthquake
- The quake occurred off the island’s east coast at 1.41am, followed two minutes later by a 6.1-magnitude aftershock
- Residents are woken and post videos of ceiling lights swaying, but no immediate reports of injuries or major damage
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A magnitude-6.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Taiwan early on Wednesday, rattling buildings and rousing people from their sleep but with no immediate reports of injuries or major damage.
Taiwan is regularly hit by earthquakes, because the island lies near the junction of two tectonic plates. It does not issue tsunami warnings unless a quake registers at more than magnitude-7.0.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) downgraded this earthquake from an initial estimate of magnitude-6.9 down to 6.6, then back up to 6.7. It also revised the depth from an initial 10km (6 miles) to 24km.
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The quake hit off Taiwan’s east coast but was felt over much of the island.
01:34
Strong 6.0 magnitude earthquake shakes eastern Taiwan during evening rush hour
Strong 6.0 magnitude earthquake shakes eastern Taiwan during evening rush hour
An Agence France-Presse reporter felt her building shake a few minutes after 1.40am in Taipei’s Zhongshan district. Government-issued alerts sent people’s mobile phones blaring.
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