Earthquake Sends Coastal City in Taiwan Into Panic

Hualien experienced the island nation's largest earthquake of the year.

Hualien, a city on the west coast of central Taiwan, was struck by what is being called the largest earthquake the island has encountered in a year.

The Thursday afternoon earthquake, with a magnitude measuring between 6.1 and 6.7, lasted only around 10 seconds, but the disturbance was enough to send the region into a panic.

Children were sent home from school, light fixtures swung violently and glass windows in certain buildings shattered.   

In the nearby mountains, the earthquake was strong enough to spark at least one landslide.

Thankfully, there were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage.

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