Skip to main content

A magnitude 6.6 earthquake strikes off the coast of Taiwan

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — The U.S. Geological Survey says a magnitude 6.6 earthquake hit Taiwan just off its northeast coast late Saturday.

The earthquake took place at 11:05 p.m. local time, 32 kilometers (20 miles) from the coastal town of Yilan. Tremors were felt across the island, including in the capital of Taipei, where buildings shook from the shock.

One resident in Yilan County described how a building shook first vertically and then horizontally.

“It kept on shaking for a while. Then I ran out, but most people did not run out. I was scared,” he said.

The epicenter was 70 kilometers (43 miles) deep, and there were no immediate reports of widespread damage or casualties. Local television showed hanging TVs swaying inside an office building, and spilled cleaning products and broken bottles that had fallen off supermarket shelves.

In a social media post, Taiwanese President William Lai Ching-te urged residents to be alert for possible aftershocks.

Beijing bans 4 New Zealand lawmakers from entering China because they visited Taiwan

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Beijing banned four New Zealand lawmakers from traveling to China for a year and demanded they apologize because they visited Taiwan on a parliamentary trip, according to a message from the Chinese embassy conveyed via parliamentary officials and shown to The Associated Press on Thursday. China has hit lawmakers from other countries with sanctions related to contact with Taiwan before, but it's the first time for New Zealand parliamentarians, the government in Wellington said. Beijing has been increasing pressure in recent years on the democratically governed island that it claims as its own territory. Two lawmakers reached by the AP on Thursday rejected the demand for an apology, while the other two could not be immediately reached. New Zealand's government said it would express concern about the travel bans to Beijing. The elected officials visited Taipei in May, as New Zealand parliamentarians have done “for decades,” a spokesperson for Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement.
Read Next Story