5.6 earthquake strikes off coast of Yilan

5.6 earthquake strikes off coast of Yilan

2026-02-24

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck Taiwan in the afternoon on Tuesday, shaking buildings all around the island. The quake hit at 12:37 p.m., with an epicenter off the coast of Yilan, at a depth of 66.8km. The strongest shaking was felt in Yilan, measuring a 4 on Taiwan’s intensity scale. Seismologists say the quake was an aftershock of the magnitude 7 quake that struck Yilan last year on Dec. 27. Let’s hear more.

Liao Che-wei
CWA Seismological Center
It was an aftershock of the magnitude 7 quake that struck on Dec. 27, also near the coast of Yilan. There have been 15 noticeable earthquakes in the area since Dec. 27, and there is a possibility that there will be more with magnitudes above 5. There is no way for us to predict for certain whether they will or will not happen.

Kuo Kai-wen
Former Seismological Center Head
The energy released by a magnitude 5.6 earthquake is equivalent to one eighth of an atomic bomb. The area of the surface fracture is about 49 to 50 square km.

The strongest intensity of 4 was recorded in Yilan’s Su’ao Township. But strong shaking measuring 3 on the intensity scale was also felt in Hualien’s Heping Township, Taipei’s Xinyi District and even as far as New Taipei and Taoyuan. Due to the depth of the earthquake at 66.8, the earthquake early warning was sent 15 seconds after the seismic movement. Initially, it was only delivered to phones in Yilan, but the scope was quickly expanded to greater Taipei as well. Fortunately no damage has been reported. Seismologists say aftershocks with magnitudes of 5 and above may happen again in the future.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#earthquake #quake #taiwan #seismologist

宜蘭5.6地震北台灣有感氣象署:為12/27的餘震

2026-02-24

今天(24日)中午12點37分，宜蘭縣近海發生芮氏規模5.6地震，深度66.8公里，最大震度在宜蘭南澳有4級。氣象署地震中心表示，這起地震為去年12/27宜蘭7.0強震的餘震。

[[氣象局地震測報中心技正廖哲緯]]
“它是屬於去年12月27號一樣是在宜蘭近海這個地方，所造成規模7.0地震的餘震。去年12月27號的主震之後，目前觀測在這個區域，有發生了15個有感餘震，沒有辦法排除(持續規模5餘震)，但我們也不能預測說它會發生或不會發生。”

[[前中央氣象局地震測報中心主任郭鎧紋]]
“(規模)5.6它所釋放的能量大概有0.125顆、1/8顆原子彈的能量，大概差不多是49、50平方公里，這樣子一個大小的破裂面。”

這回宜蘭外海地震，最大震度在宜蘭蘇澳有4級，花蓮和平、台北信義區以及新北、桃園都來到3級，由於深度66.8公里較深，氣象署在地震發生後15秒，針對宜蘭縣發布國家級警報，隨後也在台北市第二次發布，所幸全台並未出現災情。氣象署不排除今年還會有規模5以上的餘震。

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Every bowl is prepared fresh. The flour is kneaded into dough, then cut into strips and immediately cooked into a bowl of hot noodles.

Newly opened, this automated noodle shop in Kaohsiung’s Lingya District doesn’t need any staff at all. A robot takes care of cooking and serving all seven items on the menu. Customers first order from a kiosk, then wait for the robot to make their order. Vegetables are self-service, as are the pickles and spicy radish. If you don’t feel like noodles, the restaurant also has dumplings and braised food that you can microwave yourself.

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Because of the increasingly severe labor shortage, it’s getting harder and harder to hire staff, which impacts service quality. That’s what inspired us to develop this AI noodle-making system.

As hiring becomes more difficult, restaurants have to adapt to survive. Like this one, some are turning to robots. Automation might be all the rage right now, but traditional restaurants aren’t worried about losing business.

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He has his clientele and we have ours. We have a human touch. We make it ourselves and can chat with customers.

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Of course traditional shops have a human touch. You can interact with people and chat.

These chefs might not be worried, but others are. Now that robots can cook, there might be even fewer jobs available in the future.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
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69-yo restaurant employee found dead in walk-in freezer

The owner of a well-known restaurant in Taipei’s Wenshan District was left in horror on Tuesday, when she opened up shop for the first time after the Lunar New Year break. While fetching ingredients from the walk-in freezer, she found the body of a 69-year-old employee inside. The police worked out that the employee had locked herself inside the freezer on Monday night. Because she was only found 12 hours later, she had long passed away from hypothermia.

Soon after lunchtime, the restaurant pulls down its security shutter.

Eyewitness
Wenshan District, Taipei
There was an ambulance and a fire truck. The police also entered the alleyways, probably to do a quick inspection. It seemed pretty serious.

Shopkeepers nearby are in chatters over what transpired. It’s only the second business day after the Lunar New Year break, but a great number of police officers and medics had gathered around the front and backdoor of the restaurant.

Eyewitness
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An employee was found in the walk-in freezer, to which the door was locked and couldn’t be opened. They probably wanted to save her, but by then she’d already passed away. It was already too late.

The restaurant is located in Taipei’s Wenshan District, a well-known, 40-year-old establishment. According to the police, the woman trapped in the walk-in freezer was an employee.

Ma Sheng-chieh
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The large walk-in freezer is right by the kitchen at the restaurant’s backdoor. The owner was about to prep for the day, but couldn’t get the freezer’s door to open. She later broke in, and was shocked to find her employee’s body inside.

The employee was a 69-year-old woman surnamed Liu. She had been with the restaurant for more than 20 years. The restaurant was not open on Monday. At 11 p.m. that day, she told her family members that she was going out to meet friends, but actually headed to the restaurant alone. She then went into the walk-in freezer, which is set at -10°C and has enough room for three to four people. Once inside, she locked the door. Strangely, the door actually has an emergency lock-breaking mechanism that can be activated from the interior. The woman also had her phone with her, but she did not reach out for help in the 12 hours she was inside the freezer and there weren’t any traces that suggest she may have tried to escape. She died from hypothermia, and her body was found by the restaurant owner the very next day.

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She was exposed to a temperature of -10°C, so she wouldn’t have lasted more than four hours or perhaps not even two. One is prone to dehydration in freezing temperatures. You would lose consciousness quickly and wouldn’t be able to save yourself.

The police ruled out the possibility of murder. They also found that the deceased had large debts, and are determining whether she may have intentionally taken her own life.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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Prank caller arrested for false Taipei MRT killing threat

Commuters in Taipei were in for a fright on the first working day after the Lunar New Year break: someone called Taipei Metro and threatened to kill passengers in a specific train car between Nanjing Sanmin and Songshan Stations on the Green Line during the evening rush hour. Fortunately, the threat turned out to be a hoax, and the person who made it, a 35-year-old man from Kaohsiung, was subsequently arrested for threatening public safety. Turns out, the man, surnamed Cheng, had a history of making prank calls to public services. More chillingly, the threat was made as Taipei was still recovering from the attacks in December last year.

Fully armed Police officers are deployed to Songshan Station on the Taipei MRT. They charge ahead, sparing no time and effort to respond to a killing threat.

On the platform, officers are urging passengers not to enter. They remain on high alert, until they’re sure that the threat was entirely a hoax.

Witness
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Passengers were in for a fright with so many officers inside the MRT station. After investigating, the police determined the threat to be false. The prank caller was a 35-year-old man in Kaohsiung surnamed Cheng. He’d threatened to kill passengers on a train car between Nanjing Sanmin and Songshan stations.

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The man in question made the threat via an AI customer service on the MRT app. He also specified the train car where he’s supposedly carrying out his threat. It’s not the first time he’s tricked public services this way.

Just last month, he submitted a false report with the Taipei MRT in the same way. Back then, he claimed that there was a fire in a train car on the Brown Line. The police had summoned him for questioning afterwards, but he didn’t show up. In July last year, he also threatened attacks at the Kaohsiung High Speed Rail station.

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Memories of the Taipei attacks in December last year remain fresh and the public is still on high alert. So even though the killing did not take place, it still rattled commuters.

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The Tainan City Government has a new employee you can’t miss. Nicknamed “Little White,” service robot No. 0001 will come to life when you say hello to him. He paces the first floor of the city hall ready to help, drawing crowds of onlookers taking photos and eager to interact.

At clock-in time, Little White automatically boots up and rolls away from its charging area to the first stop of the day.

- Hello Little White. Which floor is the press office on?

Just say “Hello Little White” and this little robotic employee will give its full attention. But aside from answers about city services, it doesn’t have too much to say.

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This fishmonger stays busy preparing his wares, but when he sees a foreign traveler walk by, he springs to life.

No sooner had he finished listening to his wife’s impromptu English lesson than he promptly forgot how to say “have a drink.” He even has trouble saying “sugar.” His introduction is even sillier.

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Everyone in the world knows about birthdays. If you sing Happy Birthday, then there’s cake, so it just came to mind in that moment.

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When we were young, everyone was into styling their hair, but we had no clue how to do it. Even if you did manage to style it, it would be ruined by wearing a helmet. So I figured, if I just keep it like this, when I take my helmet on and off, it’ll stay neat.

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He loves chatting and is super friendly. Especially when there’s a foreigner, he’ll always greet them and offer something to eat. It’s pretty local.

Su Chen-hsi
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It doesn’t matter if they’re from the US, Japan, or wherever, he just loves to chat. He’ll go on and on. I really admire how outgoing he is.

Kao isn’t the only personality hidden in this market. Just across the way is a retiree who looks just like the Hong Kong actor Sammo Hung.

Liu Kuo-tung
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I’m the Sammo Hung lookalike in this market, and he’s the Chu Ke-liang!

Founded during the Japanese era, this seafood stall has been passed down through the generations in Kao’s family. It was a no-brainer that he would take over when he finished his military service. He might be Taiwan born and bred, but his spirit is as international as they come!

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Efforts are underway to rescue the seven whales that are still alive, and we’ve cordoned off the area.

The area has been cordoned off in response to the mass stranding event. Coast guard officers and experts have rushed to the area to help. They conducted medical checks on the whales, and ensured that they stayed upright on the shore, to not injure their pectoral fins.

Pan Fang-chuan
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When I was little, there would often be strandings, more than now. There were times when there were 20 or 30 whales. There aren’t as many nowadays.

A local councilor says strandings used to be more commonplace in the past. Pygmy killer whales are social animals, and it is thought that they were being given chase by a bigger predator. It’s also possible that the leader of the pack simply got lost, causing them to end up on the beach. So what should you do if you discover a shored cetacean?

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You should hold them upright, and keep them wet. Then, experts take their heart rate and breathing.

Wang Hao-wen
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If they are in good health, we try to release them on the spot. But if they are injured, we bring them in to a rescue site.

Everyone is helping out to return the beached whales back to their home in the sea.

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