Taiwan was preparing for typhoon Lekima when a 5.9-magnitude earthquake hit on Thursday (Aug 8) killing one woman and caused temporary power outages that affected more than 10,000 homes, authorities said.
The quake struck at 5.28am at a depth of 10km in northeastern Yilan county. Taiwan’s central weather bureau put its magnitude at 6.0.
Tremors were felt across the island and high-rises in Taipei swayed as the quake struck off the northeastern coast at dawn, waking sleeping residents.
More than 10,000 houses around the greater Taipei area and neighbouring Yilan lost power, while rail authorities suspended some train services in Yilan affecting thousands of passengers.
“We will continue to monitor if there could be a combined impact from the aftershocks of the earthquake and the approaching typhoon,” President Tsai Ing-wen told reporters.
Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is regularly hit by quakes.
