1 dead, 86 injured in Taiwan quake

A 6.5-magnitude earthquake hit central Taiwan yesterday morning, leaving at least one person killed and 86 injured, according to local authorities.1 dead, 86 injured in Taiwan quakeCracks are seen in a building in quake-affected Taichung City, March 27, 2013. [Photo/Xinhua]The earthquake occured at the Nantou County at 10:03 a.m. (Beijing Time) on March 27, 2013, with a depth of 8 km, at about 24.0 degrees north latitude and 121.0 degrees east longitude, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.A 72-year-old woman was killed by a collapsed wall and 86 people in Taichung, Nantou and Changhua were injured, China News Service reported.The earthquake also caused fires across Taiwan and trapped many people in elevators.Some railways were affected, with trains running at low speeds.The earthquake is the heaviest to hit Taiwan this year. Nantou county experienced a 6.7-magnitude tremor in 2000 and a 6.15-magnitude quake in 2009.Kuo Kai-wen, director of the earthquake monitoring center, said the quake on Wednesday appeared to be an aftershock of the 7.6-magnitude quake that hit the island on Sept 21, 1999, leaving more than 2,600 people dead, Xinhua News Agency reported.Some of the mainland's coastal regions were also jolted by the earthquake, but no casualties were reported.