The 2024 Hualien earthquake struck off the eastern coast of Taiwan, near the city of Hualien, with a magnitude of about 7.4. It was the strongest earthquake to hit the island in a quarter of a century, since the Chi-Chi earthquake of 1999, which killed more than two thousand people. This time the death toll was much lower, a little under twenty people, thanks in part to strict building codes and strong preparedness, though some older buildings in Hualien were badly damaged or tilted. Landslides and rockfalls blocked roads, particularly in the Taroko Gorge, trapping hikers and workers for a time. Taiwan sits where the Philippine Sea Plate meets the Eurasian Plate, which makes earthquakes frequent.
Before and after
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- 1 April 2024Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus
- 3 April 20242024 Hualien earthquake
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The era
This moment belongs to the Contemporary world (1945 CE to today), the world since 1945. You can also browse everything in the 21st century.