Earthquake in Taiwan

Strong Earthquake Jolts Central Taiwan

An earthquake in central Taiwan sends residents running into the streets and causes some damage, but no casualties are reported.

Sky News

2 May, 2013

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake has struck the island of Taiwan, the US Geological Survey says.

The quake caused some damage and sent residents running into the streets, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

It struck at a depth of nine miles (14.5 kilometres), the agency said.

The magnitude had originally been reported at 6.6 but it was later downgraded.

Taiwan television said the quake had triggered a gas explosion in the centre of the island but it gave no details.

Shoppers screamed and ran out of a 12-storey department store that shook violently for nearly a minute, TV stations reported from the central city of Taichung, near the epicentre.

The quake also rattled the island's capital of Taipei, about 150 miles (250 kilometres) north of the epicentre, swaying buildings.

"The house was shaking but nothing fell," said one resident of the city.

The island sits near the so-called ring of fire region of seismic activity around the Pacific Ocean, and is frequently rattled by quakes.

A magnitude-7.6 earthquake in central Taiwan in 1999 killed more than 2,300 people.