Aftershocks expected after 2 quakes in eastern Taiwan: CWA

Taipei, April 5 (CNA) The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Sunday warned of aftershocks over the next three days after two earthquakes rocked Hualien County in eastern Taiwan early Sunday morning.

The first quake, with a magnitude of 5.7, struck at 1:14 a.m. off the coast of Hualien, about 5.4 kilometers north-northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 17.5 kilometers.

It registered an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou and Yilan counties on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale, the CWA said.

The agency said the quake was an independent event and the strongest recorded in Taiwan so far this year. It added that aftershocks of magnitude 5 to 5.5 cannot be ruled out in the coming days.

The second earthquake, with a magnitude of 4.8, occurred at 5:23 a.m. in a similar offshore location, about 8.1 kilometers north-northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 23.7 kilometers.

It registered an intensity of 3 in Hualien and Yilan, and 2 in parts of Taichung and Nantou, according to the CWA.

No casualties had been reported as of 7 a.m.