Quakes hit Taiwan

2005-03-06 15:36

Taipei - Two strong earthquakes and several aftershocks jolted north-eastern Taiwan early on Sunday, buckling floors, knocking food off supermarket shelves and injuring several people, officials said.

The first quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 5.9, hit at 03:00 and was centered 100 kilometers south of Taipei, near the town of Ilan, the Central Weather Bureau said.

Another quake of about the same magnitude hit moments later, and together they rocked the area for 69 seconds, the bureau said. They were followed by several aftershocks with magnitudes between 4 and 5, it said.

The temblors sent many people fleeing outdoors from their beds.

A videotape shot by a hospital's security camera showed panicky patients running out of the facility, where ceilings cracked and floors buckled.

Television footage also showed supermarkets with floors littered with food and water bottles fallen from the shelves.

Police in Ilan said several people suffered minor injuries from falling objects, but no major damage was reported.

A quake measuring magnitude 6 can damage buildings if it hits a populated area.

Earthquakes frequently rattle Taiwan, but most are minor and cause little damage. A 7.6-magnitude quake in central Taiwan in September 1999 killed more than 2 300 people.

- AP