Eight moderately strong earthquakes and 221 aftershocks hit Taiwan early yesterday morning, with at least three casualties and power to 24,000 homes temporarily cut off.

The eight quakes, measuring from 4.2 to 5.9 on the Richter scale truck Su'ao, on Taiwan's northeastern corner, between 2:59 AM and 11:02 AM, the Seismological Observation Center said.

In Ilan County near the quake's epicenter, one high school student was injured when he jumped from a second-floor window, and an elderly woman was injured when she fell on a staircase.

Another woman had a heart attack due to the scare and was rushed to hospital.

Thousands of people in Ilan camped out in parks and on school campuses yesterday morning, fearing that a stronger quake might follow.

The quakes temporarily cut off electrical power to 24,000 homes in the county.

In Taipei, buildings shook violently, windows rattled and objects fell from shelves when the strongest two quakes struck. Many Taipei residents ran into the street and remained outside until dawn.

The observation center said the seismic activity along the northeastern coast results from the release of tectonic energy, caused by friction between the Filipino Plate and Eurasian Plate in the Pacific Ocean.

"Moderate quakes could occur in the next two to four weeks, but people should not panic," said Kuo Kai-wen, director of the center.

(China Daily, China.org.cn, March 7, 2005)