Taiwan President calls on public to stay vigilant of aftershocks in wake of quake

TAIPEI: After a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck southeastern Taiwan Sunday, President Tsai Ing Wen said she had put the Central Emergency Operation Centre on the highest alert level to deal with expected aftershocks.

Tsai called on the public to stay alert to the dangers of ongoing seismic activity, adding that she was receiving regular reports from agencies involved in Taiwan's disaster response efforts. Central News Agency (CNA) reported.

Sunday's magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck southeastern at 2.44 pm, causing widespread damage to infrastructure, buildings and vehicles in Hualien and Taitung.

In response, the central government dispatched search and rescue personnel, vehicles and canine unit from other localities to eastern Taiwan.

According to the Hualien County Disaster Response Centre, the earthquake caused the locality's Gaoliao and Luntien bridges to collapse and break into many sections, with the Yuli Bridge also suffering damage.

-- BERNAMA