TAIPEI — A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck southern Taiwan shortly after midnight Monday, damaging buildings and injuring at least 27 people, according to the island's authorities.
The focus of the temblor, which jolted the island at 12.17am, was located in Dapu Township in mountainous Chiayi County at a depth of 9.7 kilometres, the fire agency said. There were no immediate reports of deaths.
Multiple aftershocks hit the area early Tuesday morning. One of the hardest hit areas was the Nanxi district of Tainan, where over 10 houses collapsed or were partially damaged, according to local reports.
Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che said power outages had affected some areas of the city. He called on residents in Nanxi to stay at home to facilitate post-disaster recovery.
Meteorological authorities have called for vigilance, warning that aftershocks with a magnitude of 5 or higher may occur over the next three days.
The aftermath saw classes and office work cancelled in Nanxi as well as Dapu Township.
Some roads in Dapu were "damaged and impassable", and water and electricity supplies affected, Chiayi County chief Weng Chang-liang said.
Taiwanese chipmaking giant TSMC said it evacuated workers from some of its central and southern factories when the quake struck.
Taiwan is frequently hit by earthquakes due to its location on the edges of two tectonic plates near the Pacific Ring of Fire, which USGS says is the most seismically active zone in the world.
The last major earthquake occurred in April 2024 when the island was hit by a deadly 7.4-magnitude tremor that officials said was the strongest in 25 years.
At least 17 people were killed in that quake, which triggered landslides and severely damaged buildings around Hualien.
April's earthquake was the most serious in Taiwan since it was struck by a 7.6-magnitude tremor in 1999.
Some 2,400 people died in that quake, making it the deadliest natural disaster in the island's history.
Since then, Taiwan has updated and enhanced its building code to incorporate quake-resistant construction methods, such as steel bars that allow a building to sway more easily when the ground moves.
Famous for its cutting-edge tech firms, Taiwan has built up an advanced early warning system that can alert the public to potentially serious ground shaking within seconds.
The system has been enhanced over the years to incorporate new tools such as smartphones and high-speed data connectivity, even in some of the most remote parts of the island.
The focus of the temblor, which jolted the island at 12.17am, was located in Dapu Township in mountainous Chiayi County at a depth of 9.7 kilometres, the fire agency said. There were no immediate reports of deaths.
Multiple aftershocks hit the area early Tuesday morning. One of the hardest hit areas was the Nanxi district of Tainan, where over 10 houses collapsed or were partially damaged, according to local reports.
Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che said power outages had affected some areas of the city. He called on residents in Nanxi to stay at home to facilitate post-disaster recovery.
Meteorological authorities have called for vigilance, warning that aftershocks with a magnitude of 5 or higher may occur over the next three days.
The aftermath saw classes and office work cancelled in Nanxi as well as Dapu Township.
Some roads in Dapu were "damaged and impassable", and water and electricity supplies affected, Chiayi County chief Weng Chang-liang said.
Taiwanese chipmaking giant TSMC said it evacuated workers from some of its central and southern factories when the quake struck.
Taiwan is frequently hit by earthquakes due to its location on the edges of two tectonic plates near the Pacific Ring of Fire, which USGS says is the most seismically active zone in the world.
The last major earthquake occurred in April 2024 when the island was hit by a deadly 7.4-magnitude tremor that officials said was the strongest in 25 years.
At least 17 people were killed in that quake, which triggered landslides and severely damaged buildings around Hualien.
April's earthquake was the most serious in Taiwan since it was struck by a 7.6-magnitude tremor in 1999.
Some 2,400 people died in that quake, making it the deadliest natural disaster in the island's history.
Since then, Taiwan has updated and enhanced its building code to incorporate quake-resistant construction methods, such as steel bars that allow a building to sway more easily when the ground moves.
Famous for its cutting-edge tech firms, Taiwan has built up an advanced early warning system that can alert the public to potentially serious ground shaking within seconds.
The system has been enhanced over the years to incorporate new tools such as smartphones and high-speed data connectivity, even in some of the most remote parts of the island.
