Filipinos living in Taiwan shared videos showing fear, evacuation, and possible damage after a 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck the northeastern part of the island on December 27, Saturday. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake was felt in various areas in Taiwan and immediately ordered evacuations of hotels and residences.
This is the second major earthquake in Taiwan this week, following the 6.0-magnitude earthquake on December 24. In a video, hotel guests can be seen outside the building after being evacuated as a safety measure. “The earthquake was here in Taiwan, it was strong. That's why we were evacuated,” said Lota Catacutan while filming the situation.
Marifee Montilla Avena also shared a video of their quick evacuation from the second floor of their home. She said her trauma from previous earthquakes was still fresh, prompting her to contact her family immediately after the shaking subsided. Later, she described the physical weakness she felt after the incident.
Meanwhile, Pardz Chicoh's video showed cracks in a house, raising fears of possible structural damage. Shierrel Peñalosa Lim shared her extreme fear, where the chandelier can be seen swaying as the ground sways. “I'm still not used to it,” he said, noting that he immediately ran and screamed to get his companions down.
Jasmine Dela Rosa from Guanyin, Taoyuan City reported that the earthquake was so strong that she woke up immediately. So far, no Filipinos have been reported injured. Taiwanese authorities are continuing to monitor the quake and are warning of possible aftershocks. According to PHIVOLCS, there is no tsunami threat in the Philippines. Taiwan is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, and an estimated 160,000 Filipinos work there, mostly in factories.
