Strong earthquake rattles Taiwan

[senorpepr]

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) - A strong earthquake shook Taiwan on Friday, forcing the Taipei subway system to shut down during the lunchtime rush. No serious damage or injuries were immediately reported.

The earthquake's epicenter was in the Pacific Ocean, about 70 miles from the Taiwanese port city of Su'ao, the Central Weather Bureau said. It put the magnitude at 7, while the Golden, Colo.-based U.S. Geological Survey said it had a strength of 6.7.

The tremor gently rocked buildings for about one minute and was felt on Japan's southern coast. On the city's streets, the quake caused sidewalks to shake slightly.

The quake shut down Taipei's subway system for about an hour, stranding thousands of passengers during lunchtime. It also caused a brief power outage at the world's tallest skyscraper, Taipei 101, TVBS cable news reported.

The weather bureau said the tremor was the strongest to hit the island since a 7.6-magnitude earthquake devastated central Taiwan in 1999, killing 2,300 people and demolishing thousands of homes.

The government's Disaster Recovery Center said the quake damaged some houses and injured a few people, but there were no major damage or casualties.

It did not confirm earlier television reports that a house had collapsed in the northern county of Taoyuan, injuring one.

"There was one woman in her 40s who received minor head injuries when a water tower toppled off a tin veranda and on to the street," said a disaster official said.

A dozen workers were trapped inside the elevators of Taipei 101 — built to withstand the strongest earthquake in a 2,500-year cycle — but they were rescued.

Seismologists told people to be prepared for aftershocks in coming days.
"It's a 7.0 earthquake so we will continue to have aftershocks in the next few days, but their magnitude should not exceed the main quake," Central Weather Bureau seismologist Kuo Kai-wen said.

[Wnghs2007]

Man. That sounds nasty. I hope there have not been to many deaths since then.

[yoda]

Man. That sounds nasty. I hope there have not been to many deaths since then.

No there haven't been. Taiwan is pretty good with earthquakes.