The earthquake that struck Taiwan in the early hours of March 23 caused damage to roads    Source: CNA

Eight earthquakes with a minimum magnitude of 4.1 and a maximum magnitude of 6.6 shook Pingtung, Taitung and Hualien counties in the region of Taiwan early Wednesday morning, according to local authorities. The quake was also felt in Fuzhou, Quanzhou and Xiamen in East China's Fujian Province.

The 6.6-magnitude quake that struck in the early hours on Wednesday could be felt throughout the island, with Taitung County, which was closest to the epicenter, experiencing the strongest visible shaking that lasted for about two minutes, local media reported.

According to local media reports, the weather bureau issued a regional-level alert via mobile phone messages 12 seconds after the quake, telling the public to take shelter nearby, stay down and stay still.

As of noon on Wednesday, an 88-year-old woman was injured in the earthquake and her head was suspected to have been hit by a falling window. The elderly woman was taken to hospital for treatment after the incident.

Besides, the quake also caused power outages to 1,203 households in Pingtung, rockfalls, and small landslides in mountainous areas, and affected some Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (TSMC) and United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) machines.

Local government departments in Taiwan have begun work to repair damaged infrastructure. The head of Taiwan's meteorological department told people on social media to avoid using mountain roads following the earthquake, aftershocks, and possible rain.

A staff member of the Earthquake Administration in Quanzhou, Fujian Province, told the Global Times on Wednesday that the earthquake in Taiwan had no effect on Fujian and the overall situation is under control.

The island of Taiwan is prone to earthquakes, and the earthquake in the early hours of this morning did not exceed expectations, the official said.

"The earthquake is unlikely to trigger tsunamis or any other severe secondary disasters," said the official, noting that local authorities in Fujian are conducting daily tests and have not found any abnormalities.

Global Times