Taiwan: Magnitude-6.1 offshore earthquake occurs off the coast of Hualien County at around 07:35 Aug. 16 /update 1

A magnitude-6.1 aftershock occurred in the Philippine Sea off the coast of Taiwan's Hualien County at around 07:35 Aug. 16 following a magnitude-5.4 earthquake at around 17:06 Aug. 15. The epicenter was about 26 km (16 miles) southeast of Hualien City. The tremor occurred at a depth of about 15 km (9 miles), and strong shaking was probably felt in coastal areas of Hualien County close to the epicenter, as well as moderate-to-light shaking throughout the rest of Taiwan and Japan's Yaeyama Islands. There have been no initial reports of damage or casualties. It could take several hours until authorities can conduct comprehensive damage assessments, especially in remote areas. Light aftershocks are likely over the coming days. The event has not prompted any tsunami advisories.

Officials may temporarily shut down transportation infrastructure in the tremor zone to check for damage. Minor disruptions could occur during shutdowns, but service will likely resume quickly if no damage is found. Utility outages are possible, particularly near the earthquake's epicenter.

This is a developing situation; additional information will be issued as warranted.