Multiple extremely shallow earthquakes occurred in Chiayi, Taiwan, and sporadic disasters were reported
On October 27, multiple shallow earthquakes were reported in Zhongpu Township, Chiayi County, according to Taiwan’s meteorological department. Fortunately, there were no reports of injuries, despite some minor damage in the area. In a separate incident on the same day, a magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Hualien.
The meteorological report indicated that between 2:19 PM and 3:31 PM on that day, there were eight noticeable shallow earthquakes in Zhongpu Township, with magnitudes ranging from 3.1 to 4.9 and depths between 5 and 8.7 kilometers. The most significant of these occurred at 2:56 PM, registering at 4.9 on the Richter scale, with the epicenter located 21.3 kilometers east of the Chiayi County Government at a depth of 5 kilometers.
Residents took to social media to share their experiences, describing loud rumbling noises and noticeable shaking during the quakes. Local news outlets reported an incident where bricks from a wall in a community fell and damaged several cars, shattering their windshields, but fortunately, no injuries were reported. Additionally, a man in Zhongpu Township filed a report claiming to have found cracks on the third floor of his home.
The Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation announced that five train services were temporarily halted on the Chiayi section, and there were delays for certain trains traveling between Taichung and Zuoying.
The seismic monitoring center of Taiwan’s meteorological department noted that Zhongpu Township experienced a significant earthquake of 7.1 in magnitude back in 1941. The area’s fault lines make it prone to recurring seismic activity, and they projected that there could be aftershocks of magnitude 4.0 or higher in the coming week.
Earlier in the day, at 6:21 PM, another earthquake of magnitude 5.3 was detected 3 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Government, with a depth of 17.7 kilometers. As of now, there have been no reports of damage from this quake.
Wu Jianfu, the director of the seismic monitoring center, stated that this recent quake is an aftershock of the major 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Hualien on April 3 of this year.
