Taiwan rattled by dozens of quakes, but no major damage

TAIPEI — Taiwan's quake-hit county of Hualien was rattled by dozens of aftershocks late on Monday and early on Tuesday, but only minor was damage reported and no casualties.

Largely rural and sparsely populated Hualien was hit by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake on April 3 which killed at least 14 people and there have been more than 1,000 aftershocks since.

Buildings shook across large parts of northern, eastern and western Taiwan, including in the capital Taipei, swayed throughout the night at intervals, with the largest quake measuring a 6.3 magnitude. All were very shallow.

Taiwan's Central Weather Administration said the spate of earthquakes starting Monday afternoon — which it put at around 180 — were aftershocks from the large earthquake earlier in April.

The Hualien fire department said two buildings, which were already uninhabited after being damaged in the April 3 temblor, sustained further damage and were leaning at an angle.

There were no reports of any casualties.

Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is prone to earthquakes.

More than 100 people were killed in a quake in southern Taiwan in 2016, while a 7.3 magnitude quake killed more than 2,000 people in 1999. —Ben Blanchard/Reuters