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Sixteen
of some 100 people injured in a strong earthquake that hit southern
Taiwan
evening of December 26 remained in eight different hospitals on December 27,
according to an emergency medical response center formed by the Cabinet-level
Department of Health.
The magnitude 6.7 earthquake that struck Hengchun township in the
southernmost part of
Taiwan
destroyed three houses, killing two of their occupants. Of the more than 100
injured in southern
Taiwan
counties and cities, four were in critical condition, with 43 others in serious
condition. They were treated in different hospitals in
Kaohsiung
City
and the counties of
Kaohsiung
, Pingtung and
Tainan
.
According to the
Seismology
Center
of the Central Weather Bureau (CWB), the epicenter of the quake was located
22.8 km
southwest of the CWB's Hengchun earthquake station in southern
Taiwan
, at a depth of
21.9 km
. Since then, seismologists had recorded more than 130 aftershocks, including
six that measured 5 or over on the Richter scale.
Kuo Kai-wen, director of the CWB's
Seismology
Center
, said the earthquakes were the result of a collision between the Eurasian plate
and the
Philippine Sea
plate. Kuo cautioned people living near the epicenter to be on the lookout for
more aftershocks of magnitude 5 or
6 in
the subsequent few days.
Noting that the magnitude 6.7 temblor and a magnitude 6.4 aftershock
eight minutes later both lasted more than 60 seconds, he warned that the
prolonged rocking might have damaged the structures of many older buildings that
might not be able to withstand the impact of another strong aftershock.
Initial investigations by the Ministry of Education show that the quakes
caused structural damage to buildings in at least 134 elementary and junior high
schools in southern
Taiwan
, including 10 schools that suffered serious damage.
(Source:
Central News Agency) | 