TAIPEI – More than 80 earthquakes, the strongest of 6.3 magnitude, struck Taiwan’s east coast starting April 22 night and into the early hours of April 23 and some caused shaking of buildings in the capital Taipei, the island’s weather administration said.

The quakes were centred on the largely rural eastern county of Hualien, where on April 3 at least 14 people died after a 7.2 magnitude temblor. Taiwan has been jolted by hundreds of aftershocks since then.

The fire department in Hualien said early on Tuesday that a hotel which had already been damaged on April 3 and was no longer in operation was now slightly leaning on its side.

However, there were no reports of any casualties.

Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is prone to earthquakes.

More than 100 people were killed in a quake in southern Taiwan in 2016, while a 7.3 magnitude quake killed more than 2,000 people in 1999. 

Stricter building regulations – including enhanced seismic requirements in its building codes – and widespread public disaster awareness appeared to have staved off a more serious catastrophe in April’s major quake. REUTERS, AFP