Taipei Earthquake

Strong earthquake hits northern Taiwan

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Officials say a 6.0 magnitude earthquake has struck northern Taiwan, rattling buildings, but causing no damage or casualties.
The Central Weather Bureau says the quake struck 12 miles (20 kilometers) north of the northeastern city of Ilan at 12:59 a.m. Monday.
Ilan is about 44 miles east of the capital of Taipei.
The CWS says this latest quake is not related to the 6.4 magnitude temblor that struck in the Pacific Ocean off of southern Taiwan on Sunday.
Earthquakes frequently rattle Taiwan, but most are minor and cause little damage. A 7.6-magnitude quake in central Taiwan in September 1999 killed more than 2,300 people

This is a copy of the article in USA Today On Monday, December 8th, 2008. At the time I was in bed asleep on the 10th floor of the Howard Plaza Hotel in Taipei. I awoke to my bed shaking violently. I felt the whole room swaying from side to side. I couldn't tell how much the room was actually moving. The whole thing lasted for about 30 seconds and when it was over I surveyed the room to see what had fallen. The only thing out of place was an empty coke bottle that had fell off the dresser and rolled across the floor.