Taiwan earthquake: Over 80 quakes hit east coast in 24 hours, 6.3 magnitude strongest | Top 10 updates

More than 80 earthquakes hit Taiwan's east coast in the past 24 hours that also shook buildings in the capital Taipei, the island's weather administration said. The strongest quake recorded a magnitude of 6.3. The epicenter was largely the rural eastern county of Hualien, where a 7.2 magnitude earthquake on April 3 claimed the lives of at least 14 people, and there were over 1,000 aftershocks since then. 

Here are top 10 updates on Taiwan earthquake, 

1) Many aftershocks rocked Hualien in eastern Taiwan late on Monday and early Tuesday. However, no fatalities or significant damage was reported. Major chipmaker TSMC stated that its operations were unaffected.

2) Buildings across large parts of northern, eastern, and western Taiwan, including the capital Taipei, swayed at night due to the magnitude 6.3 earthquake, Reuters reported. 

3) According to Taiwan's Central Weather Administration, the string of earthquakes that began on Monday afternoon—roughly 180—were aftershocks of the significant quake that occurred on April 3.

4) “The aftershocks were a concentrated release of energy and that more could be expected, though perhaps not as strong,” Seismological Centre Director Wu Chien-fu told media persons. 

5) Chien-fu said people in Hualien need to be prepared for further disruption as heavy rainfall has been forecast for all of Taiwan this week. The Hualien fire department stated two buildings that were already unoccupied due to damage on April 3 sustained additional damage, and were tilting.

6) The world's largest chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) reported that some employees at a few plants were evacuated, but all personnel were safe and the facility and safety systems were operating as intended, as per Reuters reports. 

7) Several roads in the mountainous Hualien county were closed, and the authorities called off work and school for the day.

8) Strong earthquakes are not unusual in Taiwan, but experts believe the country's exceptional seismic preparedness has checked the damage caused to its 23 million inhabitants. 

9) In addition, the island features extensive public awareness efforts about earthquake safety and stringent building regulations.

10) More than 100 people were killed in a quake in southern Taiwan in 2016, while a 7.3 magnitude quake killed more than 2,000 people in 1999.

(With Reuters inputs)