Several earthquakes have hit the island of Taiwan since Saturday night. One of them, a 6.9-magnitude earthquake in Hualien County, was the biggest earthquake in China in 2022. Experts say the world is now in "shock mode," and China needs to be alert to the risk of earthquakes in the coming months.
Since Saturday night's earthquake in Taitung county and Sunday afternoon's quake in Hualien County, 11 more aftershocks occurred overnight starting at 12 am on Monday, according to Taiwan media outlet China Times. Another 5.7-magnitude earthquake struck Hualien county at 10:07 am on Monday.
China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC) showed that the two earthquakes were part of activity in the same area, with the two epicenters about 14 kilometers apart.
According to local media reports, the earthquake has caused one death and 146 injuries. A total of 71 school buildings have been damaged in Taiwan, with 15 locations experiencing major damage. School closures were announced in many places on Monday. The island's authorities also warned people to be on the lookout for aftershocks that could still occur in the next few days.
The earthquake that struck Hualien County on Sunday afternoon was measured at magnitude-6.9 by the CENC, making it the strongest earthquake to hit China in 2022. Outside the island of Taiwan, residents in many other parts of China also reported feeling relatively strong tremors, including in East China’s Fujian, Zhejiang and Shanghai, as well as the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).
