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The southeast of Taiwan was shaken this Sunday, September 18, by a strong earthquake of magnitude 6.8. Authorities confirmed that at least one person was killed, a train derailed and hundreds of residents were stranded by landslides on roads. In addition, the earthquake left more than 7,000 homes without electricity and with interruptions in the drinking water service.
Derailed train cars, more than 600 people trapped on the roads and several inhabitants under the rubble of collapsed buildings. It is part of the panorama this Sunday, September 18, in southeastern Taiwan, after an earthquake of magnitude 6.8.
A larger impact, according to the United States Geological Survey, which indicated that the magnitude was 7.2 and the depth was 10 kilometers.
The earthquake, one of the strongest in recent years, leaves at least one person dead and a dozen injured.
The island’s Central News Agency reported that the confirmed death is that of a cement factory worker who was on the ground floor of a building in the Yuli municipality when the structure collapsed.
In that same place, at least four people were rescued from the rubble.
Meanwhile, three other residents were taken to a hospital after the vehicle they were traveling in fell from a collapsed bridge.
The epicenter of the telluric movement was Taitung County and the earthquake occurred after another of 6.4 magnitude, on Saturday night, in the same area and that caused no casualties, according to the Taiwanese meteorological office.
However, the earthquake could be felt throughout Taiwan. Buildings also shook in Taipei, the capital, and aftershocks continued to shake the island.
Chaos gripped other parts of the country’s southeast as more than 600 people were trapped in the scenic Chike and Liushishi mountain areas as roads were blocked by landslides and rocks.
Likewise, the National Railway Administration reported that six carriages derailed at the Dongli station, in the east of the island, after part of the platform collapsed. None of the 20 passengers was injured.
Although the US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center initially issued a warning for the Taiwanese territory, it was later cancelled.
Japan’s meteorological agency also announced a tsunami warning for areas of Okinawa prefecture, but later lifted it.
The earthquake leaves more than 7,000 homes without electricity
More than 7,000 households were left without power in Yuli township alone, and water pipes were also damaged.
In the same town, a landslide trapped almost 400 tourists on a mountain famous for the orange lilies that cover its slopes at this time of year. The area was left without electricity and the mobile phone signal was interrupted.
Meanwhile, shelves and musical instruments fell at Mount Carmel Presbyterian Church and a long crack ran across the floor. Outside, the pavement and concrete slabs were fractured.
Taiwan is located near the junction of two tectonic plates, making it prone to earthquakes.
In 2016, more than 100 people died in an earthquake in the south of the island in 2016, while another 7.3 magnitude earthquake killed more than 2,000 people in 1999.
With Reuters and AP
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