Taipei [Taiwan], January 22: A powerful 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck southern Taiwan early Tuesday, injuring at least 27 people and causing damage to buildings and roads, according to authorities.
The quake struck at 12:17 am (1617 GMT Monday) at a depth of 9.7 kilometres. Its epicentre was in Chiayi County, approximately 200 kilometres south of the capital Taipei, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).
Residents across Taiwan received earthquake alerts on their mobile phones as the powerful tremor struck. Many were jolted from their sleep by the strong earthquake, according to local TV reports.
"When the earthquake struck, I was shaken right out of bed," a senior woman, evacuated from a shaky 6-storey building in Tainan, told Taiwan Public Television Service (PTS) in an interview, showing her injured and swollen left knee. The main tremor was followed by several smaller quakes. There have been dozens of aftershocks, including two with a magnitude of 5 or higher, mostly in Tainan, which is adjacent to Chiayi, according to CWA.
CWA officials warned further 5-magnitude earthquakes or stronger may strike the affected areas over the next three days. According to the National Fire Agency (NFA), several buildings in disaster-stricken areas of southern Tainan City collapsed, trapping some individuals who were later rescued.
NFA also reported cases of road and infrastructure damage, along with power outages impacting parts of southern Kaohsiung City.
Premier Cho Jung-tai visited the disaster-stricken areas in Tainan on Tuesday to express sympathy to residents evacuated from damaged buildings. Cho also pledged to accelerate the repair of damaged buildings, emphasizing the importance of ensuring their structural safety and quality.
The earthquake also affected the Southern Taiwan Science Park in Tainan, prompting major tech companies, including world-leading chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), to urgently initiate shutdown procedures. The full extent of the damage is still under assessment, according to the state-run Central News Agency.
TSMC said on Tuesday that it had resumed operations at all sites after promptly evacuating workers following the earthquake.
On April 3, 2024, a 7.2-magnitude quake struck eastern Taiwan, claiming at least 18 lives and injuring more than 1,000 people.
In September 1999, the earthquake-prone island was hit by a 7.3-magnitude earthquake that left more than 2,400 people dead.
Source: Qatar Tribune
