An earthquake struck Taiwan at 12:17 a.m. on Tuesday, registering a magnitude of 6.4 in Dapu Township of Chiayi County, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter was located 38 kilometers southeast of the Chiayi County Government building at a depth of only 10 kilometers.
The area surrounding the epicenter has been shaking continuously since the initial tremor, with most of the aftershocks concentrated in Nanhua and Nanxi Districts in Tainan City. About 10 houses in a residential area of Nanxi District have collapsed or otherwise been damaged. In the adjacent Xixing Village, village head Lin Kun-kuang (林昆廣) said that several important roadways have collapsed, including a road connecting the village to the Dapu Reservoir, and about 50 villagers are trapped. Although some people have suffered minor scrapes and bruises, no one has been seriously injured.
Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) announced that work and classes would be suspended in Nanxi District to facilitate post-disaster recovery. He arrived at the disaster site as soon as possible following the earthquake, saying the city government is working to deliver warm clothes and hot meals to those affected. Huang also reported that because power has not yet been restored to the area, the local fire department was needed to rescue people trapped inside their homes behind roller shutter security doors.
The various departments of the city government are endeavoring to keep abreast of the situation as it develops, asking citizens to pay attention to their safety and to call 1999 for assistance and to report any further incidents.