Strong temblor Saturday aftershock of Hualien earthquake: CWA

Taipei, April 27 (CNA) The magnitude 6.1 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan early Saturday is an aftershock of the major Hualien earthquake on April 3 that claimed at least 18 lives, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said.

The quake, which struck at 2:21 a.m., was the largest aftershock since a magnitude 6.3 earthquake rattled the eastern county early Tuesday. The seismic event saw residents in 13 cities and counties across the island receive emergency alerts, the weather agency said.

Two more aftershocks of more than magnitude 4.5, with epicenters nearby, followed the quake on Saturday within half an hour, including one of magnitude 5.8 that occurred at 2:49 a.m. Their epicenters were both located in Hualien County's Xiulin Township.

Wu Chien-fu (吳健富), director of the CWA's Seismological Center, said earthquakes of larger scale tend to be followed by aftershocks over a longer period.

Citing the experience of the 921 Jiji earthquake in 1999 in central Taiwan, Wu said aftershocks are expected to remain active for three to six months, and earthquakes of magnitude 6 or above are likely to occur again.

So far, the CWA has observed no anomalies in terms of the aftershocks, Wu added.

According to data from the CWA, 10 aftershocks occurred within one week following the 921 Jiji earthquake, with the epicenter located in Nantou County, and a quake of at least magnitude 6 still jolted Chiayi County in October 1999.

As of 6 a.m., Taiwan has experienced 1,303 aftershocks since the Hualien earthquake, with six registering at least magnitude 6 and 63 between magnitudes 5-6, according to CWA data.