Taiwan is rocked by a powerful magnitude 5.5 earthquake, days after another massive quake left 17 dead

Taiwan’s capital was rocked by a ‘strong’ magnitude 5.5 earthquake, just days after another massive quake left 17 dead.

The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said the powerful earthquake occurred early Monday evening in eastern Hualien.

The region was the epicenter of a 7.4 magnitude earthquake that struck on April 3, causing landslides around the mountainous area that blocked roads, while buildings in the main city of Hualien were badly damaged.

At least seventeen people were killed in the earthquake. The last body was discovered in a quarry on April 13.

Monday’s earthquake struck Taiwan around 5:08 p.m. local time and was felt in the capital Taipei.

Monday’s earthquake struck Taiwan around 5:08 p.m. local time and was felt in the capital Taipei

US Geological Survey estimated it at a magnitude of 5.3, with a depth of 8.9 kilometers.

“It felt like one of the strongest earthquakes or aftershocks since the big one earlier this month,” said an AFP reporter from Taiwan.

The Hualien Fire Department said in a short post on its official social media channel that they had sent teams to inspect any disasters caused by the earthquake.

“We will continue to monitor the situation and report in a timely manner.”

According to the CWA, four earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.1 to 5.3 have been recorded off the coast of Hualien County since midnight on Sunday.

Taiwan experiences frequent earthquakes because it is located at the intersection of two tectonic plates.

The April 3 earthquake was followed by hundreds of aftershocks, causing rockfall around Hualien.

It was the worst in Taiwan since 1999, when a magnitude 7.6 hit the island.

The magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck on April 3, just before 8 a.m. local time, with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) placing the epicenter 18 kilometers (11 miles) south of the Taiwanese city of Hualien, on a depth of 34.8 kilometers.

The death toll was much higher at the time: 2,400 people died in the deadliest natural disaster in the island’s history.

Stricter building codes – including stricter seismic requirements in building codes – and widespread public awareness of disasters appeared to have averted a more serious catastrophe during April’s major earthquake.

Images of the horrific earthquake showed roads completely wiped out by landslides, with boulders smashing the asphalt to pieces.

Large-scale rescue efforts were carried out as workers rushed to free dozens of people trapped under the rubble of their homes.

Shocking footage showed morning news broadcasts interrupted by the brutal quake, with a clip from a newsroom’s cameras showing studio lights swinging from the ceiling as a news anchor was nearly knocked over as the floor shook beneath her feet.

About 80 people were trapped in highway tunnels around Hualien – where today’s earthquake struck – and up to 70 workers were trapped in a pair of mines in the same area, Taiwanese authorities confirmed at the time.

Local television showed dramatic images of multi-storey buildings in Hualien and elsewhere toppling after completion, while a warehouse in New Taipei City collapsed.

The mayor there said more than 50 survivors had been successfully plucked from the ruins of the structure.

‘I wanted to run outside, but I wasn’t dressed. That was so strong,” said Kelvin Hwang, a guest at a hotel in the capital Taipei, who took shelter in the ninth-floor elevator lobby.

‘Earthquakes are common and I have become accustomed to them. But today was the first time an earthquake brought me to tears,” said Taipei resident Hsien-hsuen Keng.

‘I woke up because of the earthquake. I had never felt such a strong vibration before.’

She said her fifth-floor apartment shook so hard that “apart from the earthquake drills in primary school, this was the first time I experienced such a situation.”