Astonishing more than 200 powerful earthquakes ranging from 4 to 6.1 shook Taiwan in 12 hours

Taiwan was hit by an astonishingly large series of aftershocks after the April 3 earthquake

The strongest of more than 200 quakes measured 6.1 on the Richter scale, according to US Geological Survey (USGS). All earthquakes were at least magnitude 4.

The building of a full hotel in Hualien tilted to one side. The street is cordoned off.

Taiwan was rocked by a cluster of dozens of earthquakes that shook buildings and that the government said were aftershocks from the massive earthquake that struck the island more than two weeks ago.

The strongest of the recent tremors, which the United States Geological Survey measured at a magnitude of 6.1, struck around 2.30 am (21:30 Bulgarian time), followed minutes later by a 6.0 tremor.

The Taipei Central Meteorological Administration put them at 6.0 and 6.3, respectively.

The seismic activity, which was centered around Hualien on the east coast, caused buildings to shake in large parts of northern, eastern and western Taiwan throughout the night. There are no reports of casualties.

Employee Kevin Lin, who lives in the capital city of Taipei, told the AFPthat the earthquake woke him up.

“I was too scared to move and stayed in bed,” the 53-year-old said.

At around 8am, a magnitude 5.8 quake shook the capital as commuters headed to work.

The mountainous Hualien County, about 150 kilometers from Taipei, was the epicenter of a 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck the island on April 3, causing severe damage to buildings in the city of Hualien and triggering landslides in the surrounding area.

At least 14 people died and there were over 1,100 aftershocks.

Taiwan’s Central Meteorological Administration said the latest cluster of earthquakes was also an aftershock.

The director of the seismological center, Wu Chien Fu, told reporters that the earthquakes were a “concentrated release of energy” and that more could be expected, although perhaps not as strong.

In Hualien, the government announced that schools and offices would remain closed on Tuesday due to continued aftershocks.

Buildings that partially collapsed in the April 3 earthquake, including the Full Hotel and the nearby Tong Shuai Building, were further damaged. Both were vacant and are now slated for demolition.

The April 3 earthquake was Taiwan’s worst in 25 years, but casualties were relatively limited thanks to widespread public awareness campaigns and stricter building standards.

The island, with a population of about 23 million people, sits near the rift between two tectonic plates and is no stranger to strong earthquakes.