A strong 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck Taiwan's east coast Thursday afternoon, rattling buildings across the island but causing no major damage or injuries.
The bureau said the quake happened at 1:01 p.m. (0501 GMT), with its epicenter just over 10 kilometers (6 miles) northwest of the eastern coastal city of Hualien. The depth was 10 kilometers (6 miles), according to the United States Geological Survey, while Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau put the depth at almost 19 kilometers (12 miles), a distance that would lessen the likelihood of damage.
The quake shook structures in the capital, Taipei, which is about 115 kilometers (71 miles) away, with one multi-story building leaning against its neighbor after its foundation shifted. The city's subway system suspended service, while schools along the east coast were evacuated, with students holding their backpacks over their heads for protection.
This image shows a damage at a building in Taipei, Taiwan following an earthquake Thursday, April 18, 2019. A strong earthquake struck Taiwan's east coast Thursday afternoon, according to the island's Central Weather Bureau. (AP PhotoJohnson Lai)
Two hikers in the famed Toroko Gorge national park, including one from Malaysia, were injured by falling rocks, the Hualien government reported. Water pipes at the city's train station burst and rail traffic was briefly suspended.
At the leaning building in downtown Taipei, area resident Ayumi Lin said the force of the temblor was felt strongly.
"It was really scary," Lin, 50, said. "The quake shook strongly twice."
In this image made from a video, a firefighter evacuates people from a damaged building following an earthquake in Taipei, Taiwan Thursday, April 18, 2019. A strong earthquake struck Taiwan's east coast Thursday afternoon, according to the island's Central Weather Bureau. (AP Photo)
The owner of a travel agency in the adjacent building, who gave only his surname, Huang, said all his employees had evacuated safely from their 7th floor office and gathered at a nearby park. "No one was hurt," Huang said.
Taiwan's Premier Su Tseng-chang said schools, work sites, water, power and transit lines had been checked for damage and injured people, partly with the aid of drones. While no major problems were found, cracked road surfaces on the east coast could become a problem if rain were to fall in coming hours, Su said.
People in Chinese cities close to the Taiwan Strait dividing the island from mainland China reported on social media that they felt the quake.
Footage run by Taiwanese television stations showed overturned furniture in homes and offices and at least one landslide striking the mountainous and lightly populated east coast.
Taiwan is on the string of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean known as the "Rim of Fire" and is frequently rocked by tremors, including a 1999 quake that killed more than 2,300 people.
An earthquake in February 2018 in Hualien killed 17 people when four buildings partially collapsed. That quake hit two years to the day after an apartment building in the southwestern city of Tainan collapsed in an earthquake, killing 115 people.
DETROIT (AP) — The Oakland Athletics no longer have to wonder where they'll play the next few seasons. That won't make the long goodbye any easier.
The A's reacted to the announcement that this will be their last year in Oakland with a mixture of sadness and relief.
“At least as a player, you know where you’re headed,” outfielder Seth Brown said Friday before a game against the Tigers in Detroit. “There’s obviously a lot of moving parts, a lot of stuff we’re not privy to, so it’s just been kind of a waiting game on our end. Where are we going to go? Where are we going to be? So I think just having that knowledge -- at least we know where we’re going to be playing next year.”
Vivek Ranadivé, who owns the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, and Oakland Athletics owner John Fisher announced Thursday that the A’s will temporarily relocate to West Sacramento's Sutter Health Park for at least three seasons. The A's are moving to Las Vegas after a new ballpark is constructed.
The River Cats, who are affiliated with the San Francisco Giants, will continue to play at the same facility.
Fisher was unable to reach an agreement with Oakland city officials on extending the lease at Oakland Coliseum, which expires at the end of this season. The A's have played in the city since 1968.
“There's direction now, which we've talked a lot about,” Oakland A's manager Mark Kotsay said. “We've got time to kind of reflect on what this really means from an organizational standpoint, the history that we've had in Oakland, with this being now the final season. There's a lot of emotion that goes behind this.”
It will not only cause some upheaval for the players and staff but also members of the organization that work behind the scenes.
“At the end of the day, we know where we're going to be for the next three seasons after the finish this year and that in itself gives a little bit of stability,” Kotsay said. “At the same time, in the present, it's challenging in certain ways to think about the finality of this organization in Oakland.”
Sacramento will be a much smaller environment to house a major league team. Ranadivé said the River Cats venue currently seats 16,000 when counting the stands, the lawn behind center field and standing room only.
First baseman Ryan Noda is concerned with the facilities. He's hopeful that significant upgrades will be made, much like the Toronto Blue Jays did at Buffalo's Triple-A facility. The Blue Jays played at Buffalo's Sahlen Field in 2020 in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“New walls, new dugouts, new locker rooms — everything they needed to become a big league stadium,” said Noda, who played some games in Sacramento as a minor leaguer. “As long as we can do something like that, then it'll be all right. But it's definitely going to be different than playing in stadiums that hold 40,000 people.”
Kotsay is confident the upgrades will occur.
“I know it will be of major league baseball quality,” he said. “It's has to be of major league baseball quality. I know the Players Association will make sure that takes place, as they did in Buffalo.”
For the rest of this season, the A's will have to deal with small home crowds and disappointed fans.
“We’re sad for the fans, the diehard fans, who always come to our games, always support us, always support the boys wearing the jersey,” Noda said.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, center, shakes hands John Fisher, owner of the Oakland Athletics, before the start of a news conference where Fisher announced his team will leave Oakland after this season and play temporarily at a minor league park, during a news conference in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4 2024.The A's announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
John Fisher, owner of the Oakland Athletics baseball team, announces that his team will leave Oakland after this season and play temporarily at a minor league park, during a news conference in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4, 2024. The A's announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Sutter Health Park, home of the Triple A team Sacramento River Cats, is shown in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4, 2024. The Oakland Athletics announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Oakland Athletics manager Mark Kotsay walks to the dugout after making a pitching change during the eighth inning of the team's baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, March 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
