Over 80 recorded: Series of earthquakes shake Taiwan

Over 80 earthquakes are reported to have struck Taiwan in less than 24 hours.

Since Monday night on April 22nd, several back-to-back earthquakes have shaken Taiwan's east coast. They began at approximately 5 p.m. local time and continued through the night.

The quakes were mostly centered in the rural and mountainous eastern county of Hualien, where just a few weeks ago 13 people lost their lives to another earthquake. This was said to be the strongest earthquake in Taiwan in 25 years at magnitude 7.4.

The strongest occurred at 2:26 a.m., at a magnitude of 6, off Taiwan’s east coast, and at 2:32 a.m., at a magnitude of 6.3, near Hualien. The last big tremor occurred at around 8 a.m. local time. Some buildings have been damaged, but so far there are no reports of any casualties.

The quakes have been ranging in magnitude, many between 5.0 and 6.3 on the Richter scale. Taiwan lies between two tectonic plates and is an earthquake-prone area.