6.4 hits Hualian, 2 dead =updated=

Beach outside Hualien

SCMP reports on the quake that hit Hualien about 11:50 last night, collapsing several buildings and killing two...

Two people were killed when a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck the Taiwanese city of Hualien on Tuesday, trapping dozens in collapsed buildings and damaging roads and bridges.

Premier William Lai said both of those killed were employees of the Marshal Hotel, which had collapsed; he also said that more than 200 people were injured, some seriously.

....

Sections of the Suhua Highway connecting Ilan and Hualien counties were severely damaged. Cracks appeared on bridges and roads, leading to closures in some cases. Damage to gas pipes was also detected.

The dead and injured were largely from the Marshal Hotel, which collapsed. Among the injured were 50 Japanese tourists, according to CNN (with video). The dead included one person at the Marshal Hotel, and a local resident, according to ABC.

Here in Taichung we felt light shaking which went on for some time, felt like about 30 seconds. Word went out to expect a few more weeks of aftershocks.

I will be updating throughout the day...

UPDATE: Apple Daily with pics
UPDATE: Taiwan News with pics. Five major buildings collapsed.
UPDATE: Image from here shows all five buildings lay right on the fault.

MEDIA: While even SCMP from Hong Kong did not add The Formula, ABC out of Australia went full on stoopid:

A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck nearby on Sunday.

Taiwan, a self-ruled island that China considers part of its territory, is prone to earthquakes.

Some people in Taiwan are still scarred by a 1999 magnitude-7.6 earthquake in which more than 2,000 people died.

There is no need to drag China's desire to annex Taiwan into this. BBC went there too.
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