Several homes in southern Taiwan have completely collapsed after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck after midnight on January 21. Despite the damage to dozens of structures, no deaths or serious injuries have been reported.
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00:00Emergency response efforts are underway in southern Taiwan following a 6.4 magnitude earthquake that hit at midnight on Tuesday.
00:08The tremor collapsed several homes in rural Tainan.
00:11Reece Ayers joins us live now from there. Reece, how bad is the damage where you are?
00:19Well, some pretty serious damage to a few properties just a road away from here.
00:24That area now completely cordoned off over fears of further collapses.
00:29But very fortunately no reports of any deaths or even of major injuries.
00:35Still a relief tent has been set up here to provide locals with food and drink and a place just to rest and have some safety.
00:45Some of the worst damage from this earthquake has been reported here in Tainan's rural Nanshi district
00:52with several residents reporting some minor injuries after the homes around them collapsed.
00:59But luckily emergency responders are able to act quickly and pull them free.
01:04Fire officials saying here that around 10 or a dozen so homes have been seriously structurally damaged.
01:12Now this quake struck a few minutes past midnight.
01:16It's epicenter on the border of Jiayi and Tainan in Taiwan's south.
01:21It was a 6.4 magnitude tremor, you know, far from the biggest that we've experienced here in Taiwan.
01:28But still strong enough to be felt across the country and cause damage to structures closer to its center.
01:35Further afield there are reports of damage in mountainside villages in Tainan and Jiayi and some more minor injuries as well.
01:45And in science parks in Taiwan's center and south chipmaker TSMC saying that they had to evacuate their factories and stop production for a few hours while they assess damage.
01:58But they're now saying that staff are returning to work and the production has continued.
02:04Well, it's a relief to hear no serious injuries are being reported.
02:08Is there any word yet on the risk of aftershocks?
02:13Yes, some aftershocks of magnitude 5 or higher happening after the main tremor.
02:19The frequency of those has already slowed down.
02:23But Taiwan's Central Weather Administration is still warning that they could occur for three days or longer
02:29and warning people to stay away from the mountainous regions and roads up in the hills in case of landslides.
02:37Taiwan sits on the so-called Pacific Rim of Fire so it's no stranger to earthquakes.
02:42Just last year that huge one on the east coast that killed over a dozen people
02:48and the Gigi earthquake in 1999 that killed over 2,000.
02:53Taiwan is used to earthquakes but it's that proneness to them that makes Taiwan prepared every time that one strikes.