A 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck southern Taiwan early Tuesday (January 21), causing minor injuries to 27 people and some reported damage. The quake occurred at 12:17 am, with its epicenter located 38 km southeast of Chiayi County Hall at a depth of 10 km, according to Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration.
The US Geological Survey recorded the earthquake as a slightly weaker magnitude 6. There were scattered reports of minor to moderate damage around the cities of Chiayi and Tainan. Taiwan’s fire department confirmed that 27 individuals were sent to hospitals for minor injuries.
Among them, six people, including a 1-month-old baby, were rescued from a collapsed house in Tainan’s Nanxi district. Additionally, damage was reported to the Zhuwei Bridge on a provincial highway.
No fatalities have been reported, though rescuers continue to assess the damage. In Tainan, two people, and in Chiayi city, one person were rescued from elevators without injuries after being trapped.
The earthquake also sparked a fire at a printing factory in Chiayi, but the blaze was quickly extinguished with no injuries reported.
In April, a much stronger 7.4-magnitude quake hit Taiwan’s eastern coast near Hualien, killing at least 13 people and injuring more than 1,000. The island lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a region known for frequent seismic activity.