Environment

Taiwan Earthquake December 19th 2009: 6.4 Magnitude Earthquake

by Amy Judd | December 19, 2009 at 09:18 am

3247 views | 4 Recommendations | 2 comments

Taiwan was hit by an earthquake in the late hours of December 19th 2009, when a 6.4 earthquake struck at 9:02pm local time. The epicenter was located about 145 kilometers south of Taipei.

There was some damage caused and five aftershocks reported. Buildings in Taipei shook with the earthquake and Taiwan's subway system and the high-speed rail line were halted, while some phone lines went down.

About four people were reported injured in Taipei due to falling debris, and some buildings were damaged. There has not been a tsunami alert issued.

Taiwan is regularly hit by earthquakes, usually causing little or no damage. On Sept. 21, 1999, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck in the center of the island, toppling buildings, killing more than 2,000 people and causing an estimated $9 billion in damage.

0 See all footage | View Slideshow

Share: email story | add to any | | facebook | stumbleupon

recommend This comment thread is now closed

Mark E. (not verified)

at 12:46 on February 15th, 2010

I have a personal account of this event. I had gone to bed when I felt the floor shake. I was on the seventh floor of a 15-story hotel near the city hall. Room 711 of the Agora Garden, to be precise. When I realized this was an earthquake, I began to estimate the length (but there was no clock in the room). I estimated the shaking lasted about thirty seconds. The window drapes moved back and forth a few inches and the bedroom door swung in its hinges for about 20 seconds. There was some noise in the hallway, sugggesting that someone else on the floor had taken notice. Then I went to sleep, and read about the event the following morning.