HUALIEN, Taiwan (Reuters) - A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck near the Taiwanese coastal city of Hualien late on Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said, killing at least two, injuring hundreds and trapping people inside several collapsed buildings. The quake struck about 22 km (14 miles) northeast of Hualien shortly before midnight (1600 GMT), with its epicentre very shallow at just 1 km, the USGS said. Among the buildings toppled in the quake was the Marshal Hotel in Hualien, where two people were trapped inside, the government said. The government said two bridges in the city were either cracked or could not be used due to the quake. More than 100 were killed in a quake in southern Taiwan in 2016, and some Taiwanese remain scarred by a 1999 earthquake with 7.6 magnitude that was felt across the island and which killed more than 2,000 people.

Source: The Star February 06, 2018 17:26 UTC