6.0-magnitude earthquake shakes Taiwan

TAIPEI: A 6.0-magnitude earthquake hit Taiwan on Tuesday (Jan 21), the US Geological Survey (USGS) said, injuring 27 people, triggering landslides and causing ceilings of homes to cave in according to local authorities.

An AFP journalist in the capital Taipei felt tremors for nearly a minute as the shallow quake struck shortly after midnight.

The epicentre was recorded 12km north of Yujing, a mango-growing district in southern Taiwan, the USGS said.

Firefighters rescued three people including a child who were trapped in a collapsed house in nearby Nanxi district, a video posted on Facebook and verified by AFP showed.

Elsewhere, a person was injured by falling debris while two people were reported trapped in elevators, authorities said.

More than 50 aftershocks have been recorded, said Taiwan's Central Weather Administration which reported the initial quake at magnitude 6.4.

The ceilings of several homes collapsed, while roads were blocked by falling rocks and landslides, the National Fire Agency said.

But the agency reported "no major damage" from the quake, which injured 27 people according to the health ministry.

The aftermath saw classes and office work cancelled in Nanxi district as well as Dapu Township in mountainous Chiayi County, north of the epicentre.

Some roads in Dapu were "damaged and impassable", and water and electricity supplies were affected, Chiayi County chief Weng Chang-liang said.

Chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) said on Tuesday that all its sites were operating following an overnight earthquake.

The dominant maker of advanced chips and a major supplier to companies including Apple and Nvidia said it had evacuated workers at some sites in central and southern Taiwan as a precaution after the quake, which hit shortly past midnight on Tuesday.

"Post-earthquake structural inspections have been completed at all sites, confirming that the structures are safe and operations are gradually resuming," it said in an emailed statement.

"Currently, the water supply, power, and workplace safety systems are functioning normally and all TSMC's sites are operating. Detailed inspections and impact assessments are ongoing."

TSMC's construction sites were unaffected and they have continued regular operations following environmental safety checks, it added.

TAIWAN'S ENHANCED WARNING SYSTEM

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.