Magnitude 6.4 earthquake in southern Taiwan leaves 27 injured: no fatalities reported

At least 27 people were injured, some buildings have collapsed or been damaged, and water and electricity outages have been reported after a series of earthquakes struck southern Taiwan shortly after midnight today, January 21.

A 6.4 magnitude earthquake centered in Dapu Township, Chiayi County struck at 12:17 am, rocking the whole island of Taiwan, and was felt as far away as the northern Philippines and southern islands of Japan.

The initial earthquake was followed by a series of aftershocks which kept many residents of southern and central Taiwan awake through the night. As of 5:13 am, 54 aftershocks have been recorded, with the largest at magnitude 5.2. Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration (CWA) has warned that aftershocks exceeding magnitude 5 may be felt within the next three days.

Municipal authorities reported that some roads have been damaged and made impassable around Dapu Township, and many power and water outages have been reported throughout Chiayi County and Tainan City.

A six-storey residential building in Yujing District, Tainan city was one of the worst damaged. Firefighters conducted a floor-by-floor search to ensure all 30 residents had evacuated the building. Three people were injured when a building collapsed in Nanxi District of Tainan City. None of the injuries were life-threatening, and a total of 11 people were able to escape from the building, according to firefighters.

As of 10:00 am, 27 people have been reported injured, but fortunately there have been no fatalities reported.

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