By South China Morning Post | Created at 2025-01-21 07:11:28 | Updated at 2025-01-21 10:46:57
3 hours ago
At least 27 people were injured when a magnitude 6.4 earthquake – the equivalent of two atomic bombs – struck the county of Chiayi in southwestern Taiwan soon after midnight on Tuesday.
The earthquake, which began at 12.17am local time, was recorded at a depth of 9.7km (6.03 miles) with its epicentre in a mountainous, rural area 37.9km (23.5 miles) southeast of Chiayi County Hall, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).
Kuo Kai-wen, a former director of the CWA’s seismology centre, estimated that the energy released by the earthquake was equivalent to two atomic bombs.
The quake jolted the neighbouring cities of Tainan and Kaohsiung in the south, with tremors felt as far away as Taipei, where high-rise buildings swayed.
No deaths have been reported but dozens of homes and structures in Chiayi and Tainan were damaged, with some partially collapsed, according to the Taiwanese fire department. At least 27 people in Chiayi and Tainan suffered minor injuries, it said.
In Chiayi’s Dapu township – the area closest to the epicentre – the county government suspended work and classes. Roads were severely damaged, making travel impossible, while water and electricity supplies were also disrupted.
