Taiwan rattled by three earthquakes: U.S. and China military conclude major disaster drill

December 3, 2012 – TAIPEI – Three earthquakes shook Hualien in eastern Taiwan early Monday, with the strongest recorded at magnitude 5.1 on the Richter scale, but there were no reports of casualties or damage, according to the Central Weather Bureau (CWB). The magnitude 5.1 earthquake hit at 1:45 a.m., centered 7.5 kilometers southwest of the Hualien County Hall at a depth of 18.1 km, the CWB’s Seismology Center said. The quake caused strong tremors but they did not last long, the center said. The Hualien County Fire Department said it has not received any reports of damage. A second earthquake, magnitude 2.8, struck at 2:14 a.m., with the epicenter 9 km west of the county hall at a depth of 11.7 km, the Seismology Center said. It was followed by a magnitude 4.7 temblor at 3:43 a.m., centered 8.5 km southwest of the county hall at a depth of 16.1 km. Taiwan sits in an earthquake-prone area. More than 30 earthquakes rocked the island. –Focus Taiwan

China and U.S. military practice earthquake drill: Military officers of China and the United States have held a joint indoor war game to practice humanitarian rescue and disaster relief in case of an earthquake and consequent nuclear leaks. The two-day exercise, which ended on Friday, was staged in Chengdu, capital city of southwest China’s Sichuan Province. A total of 32 people from the two countries attended the drills on humanitarian rescue, based on the scenario of a 7.8-magnitude earthquake in an unspecific Southeast Asian country, causing huge damages, injuries and leaks of chemical and radioactive materials, according to a statement by the Chinese delegation. The participants included officials from the China Earthquake Administration and the U.S. government as well as members for functions of intelligence, combat, communication, engineering, anti-chemical and anti-radiation, logistics, medical treatment, journalism, research and rescue as well as legal affairs. The delegations discussed issues of decision-making, organization, command, action and coordination in the rescue mission. Both sides expressed appreciation for the exercise and agreed that the drill will help to deepen practical cooperation in unconventional security fields between the two countries’ militaries, the statement said. This is the first joint indoor exercise between the two countries’ militaries, and is an important part of the eighth exchange activity between the armed forces of the China and the United States on humanitarian rescue and disaster relief, according to Tang Fen, head of the Chinese delegation. After the drill, the U.S. delegation will also visit sites hit by the 2008 Wenchuan quake, the statement added. –EPD