A magnitude 6.4 earthquake and several aftershocks battered southern Taiwan early this morning, causing houses and roads to collapse and leaving dozens injured and 50 people isolated in their village.
A total of 26 people were reported injured and sent to hospitals due to the earthquake as of late this morning, according to the latest Ministry of Health and Welfare figures.
In Sising Village (西興) of Chiayi County's Dapu Township (大埔), the location of the quake's epicenter, severe damage was seen and roads entering the village were blocked, isolating about 50 villagers.
Photo courtesy of the Tainan Fire Bureau
Another eight people who were originally trapped inside buildings in Tainan and Chiayi City have all been rescued, the National Fire Agency said.
In Tainan, four people were injured among 11 residents rescued from six collapsed or severely damaged homes in a residential area consisting of single-story houses in Nansi District (楠西), the Tainan Fire Bureau said.
The four sustained minor injuries, such as bruises, and were sent to the hospital.
Photo courtesy of the Chiayi County Government
The remaining evacuees were temporarily sheltered outdoors near the area.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake hit Chiayi County at 12:17am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said.
The epicenter was 37.9km southeast of Chiayi County Hall, at a depth of 9.7km, CWA data showed.
Photo: CNA
The quake's intensity was highest in Chiayi County, where it measured a 6- on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale.
The earthquake also measured a 5- in neighboring Tainan, as well as in Kaohsiung, CWA data showed.
Bureau officials said they received a report of house collapses on Minzu Road at 12:19am and immediately dispatched rescue teams to the site.
More than 10 single-story houses in the area had collapsed or partially collapsed, with residents trapped inside, fire officials said.
One woman, in her 80s, said she had lived in Nansi her whole life, but had never experienced such a strong earthquake.
Her phone was crushed, and she barely had time to escape to safety, the woman said.
Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) visited the area and promised to provide warm clothing, hot meals and other assistance to the affected residents.
Nansi and Dapu have canceled work and school today due to earthquake damage.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) evacuated its employees from several factories in central and southern Taiwan following the quakes.
In a statement, TSMC said the evacuations were carried out at its facilities in the Central Taiwan Science Park in Taichung and Southern Taiwan Science Park in Tainan as part of its emergency response procedures.
The company confirmed that all employees at the affected sites are safe.
The Southern Taiwan Science Park Bureau also reported that machines at major facilities in the park were shut down as a precaution following the quakes.
Employees were evacuated, and no injuries have been reported, the bureau said.
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