Powerful Earthquakes Rock Taiwan; Tsunami Evacuation Lifted
TAIPEI, Taiwan (CBS/AP) -- A strong undersea magnitude-6.6 earthquake struck between Taiwan and southern Japan on Monday, sparking a house fire that killed a person outside of Taiwan's capital and causing Japanese authorities to evacuate some schoolchildren as a tsunami precaution.
The quake triggered an advisory for a tsunami of up to 1 meter (3 feet) in Japan that was lifted after just over an hour. It caused buildings in the Taiwanese capital of Taipei to sway, and people there rushed into the streets.
A person was killed in a house fire in the Taipei suburb of Xinzhuang that was sparked by the explosion of an electricity transformer box due to the quake, Taiwan's fire and rescue agency said in a statement.
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The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake's epicenter was at a shallow point in seas east of Taiwan and south of Okinawa, near the Yonaguni islands. No tsunami was triggered.
Three more quakes hit the island. Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau said it detected one measuring 5.8 and another of magnitude 5.7, both considered to be aftershocks.
Another quake with a magnitude of 5.5, with its epicenter 42 km (27 miles) east of the eastern city of Hualien, also rocked the island.
Another strong quake registering a 6.0 magnitude quake also struck Indonesia overnight.
COMPLETE QUAKE COVERAGE: CBS Earthquake Resource Center
This article will be updated as information warrants, and follow KPIX 5 on Twitter at @CBSSF or KCBS Radio on Twitter at @KCBSNews for updates on breaking news anytime.
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Strong earthquakes with an epicenter off the coast can trigger tsunamis, depending on the size and type of the fault movement. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center tracks earthquake data for the West Coast.
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