TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the northeast coast of Taiwan at 1:36 a.m. this morning (Feb. 7), sending shockwaves across the country, according to the Central Weather Bureau (CWB).
The epicenter of the temblor was 85.1 kilometers east of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 112 kilometers, based on CWB data. Taiwan uses an intensity scale of one to seven that gauges the degree to which a quake is felt at a specific location.
The quake’s intensity registered a 4 in Yilan County and Miaoli County and a 3 in Hualien County, New Taipei City, Taoyuan City, Hsinchu County, and Hsinchu City. An intensity level of 2 was recorded in Taipei City, Taichung City, Nantou County, Taitung County, Changhua County, Yunlin County, and Chiayi County.
A lesser intensity of 1 was registered in Keelung City, Kaohsiung City, Chiayi City, and Tainan City. No injuries had been reported at the time of publication.
Many Taiwan residents reported receiving over a dozen emergency text messages on their phones from the CWB warning them that an earthquake had occurred at 1:36 a.m. and to "Beware of probable shaking."
