A strong earthquake struck northeastern Taiwan on Sunday, with residents reporting violent shaking in the capital Taipei.
Taiwan's central weather bureau said the quake was of magnitude 6.5 while the US Geological Survey gave a lower strength of 6.2.
It struck northeastern Yilan county at 1.11 pm (0511 GMT) at a depth of 67 kilometres (42 miles).
#earthquake felt in Taipei after 1 p.m. Sunday pic.twitter.com/Scd6yekeL6
— Focus Taiwan (CNA English News) (@Focus_Taiwan) October 24, 2021
An AFP reporter in Taipei said the shaking seemed to last roughly 10 seconds and felt like the strongest earthquake of the year so far.
Taiwan is regularly hit by quakes as the island lies near the junction of two tectonic plates.
Some earthquakes of this magnitude can prove deadly, although much depends on where the quake strikes and at what depth.
https://twitter.com/onionsack/status/1452144080645881859
Hualien, a scenic tourist hotspot, was struck by a 6.4-magnitude earthquake in 2018 that killed 17 people and injured nearly 300.
In September 1999, a 7.6-magnitude quake killed around 2,400 people in the deadliest natural disaster in the island's history.
What the #Taiwan #earthquake did to my local 7-Eleven in Taipei.
— Klaus Bardenhagen (@taiwanreporter) October 24, 2021
Let's hope that's the worst that happened and everyone is okay. pic.twitter.com/YD8gJB33h0
However, a 6.2 earthquake struck in December 2020 in Yilan with no major damage or injuries reported.