Massive earthquake hits Taiwan region
Massive earthquake hits Taiwan region (photo: Getty Images)
An earthquake struck the Taiwan region last night, December 24. Its magnitude is estimated at 6.3 on the Richter scale, reports Reuters.
According to the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ), the epicenter of the earthquake was at a depth of 10 km.
There is currently no information on the possible destructive consequences of the strong aftershocks. Authorities and emergency services did not report any injuries or casualties as a result of the earthquake.
The earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 occurred on Sunday morning (12:49 GMT+2) in Taiwan, according to local time.
Official Beijing and Chinese state media have not yet commented on the incident in the region of the island of Taiwan, which China calls part of its territory.
Updated at 03:05.
The Taiwanese weather service reported that the earthquake had a magnitude of 4.6. It occurred near the sparsely populated east coast, and the tremors were hardly felt on land.
The epicenter of the earthquake was located in the sea near Taiwan's Taidong County, at a depth of 16.5 km, the local meteorological bureau said.
There are reports of only minor tremors in the county, mostly in rural areas.
It should be noted that Taiwan is located near the junction of two tectonic plates, and the region is prone to earthquakes.
Taiwan, where the earthquake has now occurred, is located at a considerable distance from the site of the recent cataclysm in China's northern Gansu province, where many people were killed and injured as a result of the earthquake.
Deadly earthquake in China
On December 19, a strong earthquake hit the Gansu-Qinghai border region of China. Initially, 111 people were reported dead and hundreds more injured.
The European Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC) estimated the magnitude of the earthquake at 6.1. Chinese state media reported that the earthquake was recorded with a magnitude of 6.2.
According to the EMSC, the earthquake occurred at a depth of 35 km, and its epicenter was located 102 km southwest of the capital of Gansu Province, Lanzhou.
On December 20, it became known that the total number of victims of the earthquake in China increased to 134 people. In addition, the number of people injured in the disaster has reached almost 1,000. However, on December 22, Xinhua reported that the death toll had risen to 148.
