The death toll from an earthquake in Taiwan has risen to nine, while 821 people were injured, the Zhongshi island’s fire department reported.
Jerrymusa.com reports that seven fatalities and 736 injuries were recorded earlier.
Earthquake Cases Distress to Residents
“At 7:58 a.m. local time on Wednesday (11:58 p.m. GMT on Tuesday), an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 struck Hualien County, causing widespread distress throughout the island.”
Local seismologists estimate that the epicentre was 25 kilometres southeast of Hualien City, in the sea, at a depth of 15.5 kilometres.
“There were more than 40 aftershocks reported in the region, and the eastern Chinese provinces of Jiangxi and Fujian also felt the shakes. More than 120 aftershocks had been registered as of 7:33 a.m. GMT and 3:33 p.m. local time.”
According to the Moscow-Taipei Coordination Commission on Economic and Cultural Cooperation, no Russian nationals have been reported killed or injured by the earthquake, according to information provided by Taiwan’s emergency response services.