Taiwan’s disaster system kicks in as 5.6 quake strikes north

TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's Public Warning System activated Sunday (July 26) evening, sending earthquake alerts to mobile devices across five northern municipalities. The magnitude 5.6 tremor struck New Taipei City's Shuangxi District (雙溪區) at 8:36 p.m., the Central Weather Administration (中央氣象署) reported.

The disaster alerts reached residents in Taipei, New Taipei, Keelung, Taoyuan City, and Yilan County. The coverage area spans the greater Taipei metropolitan region and northeastern Taiwan.

The deep earthquake struck at a depth of 95.7 kilometers (59.5 miles), according to preliminary CWA data. Its epicenter was located 35.8 kilometers (22.2 miles) east-southeast of the New Taipei City government building.

The tremor registered a maximum intensity of 3 on Taiwan's seismic scale across eight counties and cities. These included Yilan, New Taipei, Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu County, Hualien, Taichung, and Miaoli.

Taipei Metro (臺北捷運) and Taoyuan Metro (桃園捷運) responded immediately by activating standard operating procedures. Taipei Metro completed station and track inspections and resumed normal operations at 8:52 p.m. Taoyuan Metro trains were operating at 40 km/h (24.9 mph) after detecting the intensity-3 tremor.

Taiwan Railways (臺鐵公司) activated seismic response protocols on multiple lines. The railway applied intensity-4 earthquake procedures between Nanao and Yilan stations and between Taipei and Yingge stations. Intensity-3 procedures were applied between Heping and Nanao, Yilan and Dali, Ruifang and Badu, Keelung and Taipei, and Zhuznan and Fengyuan.

Taoyuan City government reported no damage after contacting Datan Power Plant (大潭電廠), CPC Corporation (中油), Taiwan Railways, Taiwan High Speed Rail, and Taoyuan International Airport.

Taipei City's Disaster Prevention Office (台北市災害防救辦公室) also reported no damage. The office said its 110 police line, 119 fire line, and 1999 citizen hotline had not received any disaster reports. All city departments and 12 district offices were conducting inspections.

The CWA cautioned that its automated earthquake reports may contain inaccuracies due to the speed required for timely alerts.

Details on potential damage in New Taipei, Keelung, and Yilan were not immediately available.

The Seismological Center (地震測報中心) scheduled a briefing for 9:40 p.m. Sunday. Technical Specialist Kuo Kuan-hong (郭冠宏) will provide official analysis. This story will be updated following the briefing. ◼