ROC government agencies have been instructed to respond swiftly and appropriately to the magnitude-6.3 earthquake that struck central Taiwan June 2, according to Premier Jiang Yi-huah.
Jiang, who was accompanying President Ma Ying-jeou on a tour of the country’s No.3 nuclear power plant in Pingtung County, made the remarks shortly after the earthquake hit at 1:43 p.m.
The premier directed Vice Premier Mao Chi-kuo to visit the quake epicenter in Nantou County and oversee response and rescue plans. He also appointed Minister of the Interior Lee Hong-yuan to take charge of a task force under the Central Disaster Emergency Operation Center in Taipei City.
According to the CDEOC, two people were killed, one reported missing, and more than 20 injured by the quake as of Sunday evening.
The MOI will continue searching for missing personnel and offer necessary assistance to the families of those deceased and injured, with the Ministry of Transportation and Communications fast-tracking road repairs, the CDEOC said.
Damage to buildings and schools is to be assessed by the MOI and Ministry of Education, and personnel from the Ministry of National Defense are visiting nearby temblor-struck towns to carry out rescue missions and on-site surveillance.
Kuo Kai-weng, director of the Central Weather Bureau’s earthquake forecast center, told Taiwan Today in a telephone interview June 3 that the quake is the largest this year and stems from seismic activities triggered by the Sept. 21, 1999, magnitude-7.3 Jiji earthquake.
It was only 6.2 kilometers away from the magnitude-6.2 tremor occurring March 27, Kuo said, adding that along with a magnitude-6.7 earthquake that hit nearby 13 years ago, the quakes could have been caused by the same blind thrust fault.
“It is very likely to see aftershocks of magnitude 5 and above during the next two weeks in Nantou County,” Kuo said. “And with the rainy season continuing, residents in the area should be on the lookout for falling rocks and landslides.” (RC-JSM)
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