At least two dead, more than 100 injured in Taiwan earthquake

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At least two dead, more than 100 injured in Taiwan earthquake

Reuters on MSN.com · 3h

The 6.4-magnitude quake struck near the city of Hualien in Taiwan late Tuesday, causing a hotel to collapse and forcing the closure of a nearby highway.

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At least 2 dead in magnitude 6.4 quake in Taiwan — premier

Reuters

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TAIPEI — A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck near the coastal city of Hualien in Taiwan late on Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, killing at least two people and causing several buildings to collapse.

The quake struck about 22 kilometers (14 miles) northeast of Hualien shortly before midnight, and the epicenter was very shallow at just 1 kilometer, the USGS said.  
"Two people were unfortunately killed, and 114 have suffered light or severe injuries," Taiwan's Premier William Lai told an emergency government meeting.  
A number of aftershocks hit the area, but there was no word of any tsunami warning. Hualien is a popular tourist destination on Taiwan's eastern coast and is home to about 100,000 people. 
"The president has asked the cabinet and related ministries to immediately launch the 'disaster mechanism' and to work at the fastest rate on disaster relief work," President Tsai Ing-wen's office said in a statement. 
© Tian Jun-hsiung Rescuers are seen entering a building that collapsed onto its side after an early-morning, magnitude 6.4 earthquake in Hualien County, eastern Taiwan, on Wednesday. Lai said the government was urgently repairing a major highway damaged by the quake. He said the government would provide further updates on the situation later on Wednesday morning. Among the buildings toppled in the quake was the Marshal Hotel in Hualien, where three people were trapped inside, the government said.
Four other buildings, including two hotels and a military hospital, also tilted during the quake in Hualien, which is located about 120 kilometers (75 miles) south of the capital, Taipei.
The government said two bridges in the city were either cracked or could not be used due to the quake. On Sunday an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.1 struck nearby. Taiwan, a self-ruled island that China considers part of its territory, is prone to earthquakes.
More than 100 were killed in a quake in southern Taiwan in 2016, and some Taiwanese remain scarred by a 1999 earthquake with 7.6 magnitude whose impact was felt across the island and in which more than 2,000 people died.