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Strong earthquake jolts Taiwan |
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June
12, 2000
TAIPEI,
JUNE 11 (AP) - A strong earthquake shook central Taiwan early
Sunday, causing rockslides and injuring more than 20 people, officials and
seismologists said.
The
quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 6.7, struck an area 47 kilometers
(28 miles) north of Mount Yu, the Central Weather Bureau said. Mount Yu,
the highest mountain in Taiwan, is about 300 kilometers (180 miles) south
of Taipei.
The
quake, which hit at 2:23 a.m. (1823 GMT Saturday) was the worst
in Taiwan this year. It was followed by seven aftershocks with magnitudes
of between 4 and 5, the bureau said.
The
Disaster Rescue Center said more than 20 people were injured, with
many hit by falling rocks on mountainous highways or falling objects at
home.
State
radio reported that a baby was injured when it was thrown out
of his cradle by the quake.
Four
college students on motorbikes were hit by falling rocks in a
mountainous area. TVBS cable news quoted a student as saying one of them
also suffered a dislocated jawbone when he yelled after being shocked by
the quake.
All
the quakes, including the first, were aftershocks of a 7.6-magnitude
quake that devastated the region in September, killing 2,400 people and
destroying thousands of homes.
Seismologist
Lu Pei-ling said it is not unusual for aftershocks from
a major tremor to last for a year or two.
The
U.S. Geological Survey in Golden, Colorado, measured the quake
at magnitude 6.2. The Central Weather Bureau uses a different scale.
Located
along the earthquake-prone Pacific Rim and crisscrossed by
51 fault lines, Taiwan is hit by scores of earthquakes each year, but
few cause serious damage.
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