Quake shakes southern Taiwan: Viral videos capture scene
On Tuesday, southern Taiwan was hit by a 6.4 magnitude earthquake. Many recordings can be seen on social media. A viral video emerged from one of the bars, capturing the exact moment the ground shook.
On Tuesday, January 21st, southern Taiwan experienced a 6.4 magnitude earthquake in the mountainous region near Chiayi. According to NBC News, no casualties have been reported.
Earthquake in Taiwan
The quake's epicentre was located in the town of Dapu in Chiayi County, and its depth was approximately 16 kilometres. The tremors were felt in the capital, Taipei.
As a result of the earthquake, employees of factories in central and southern Taiwan, including TSMC plants, were evacuated. In Tainan, several people were trapped in damaged buildings, but some have already been rescued.
Power outages and building damage were reported in Dapu; however, there are no "obvious signs of disaster."
As a consequence of the earthquake, 27 people were injured and taken to hospitals. The power grid operator Taipower reported outages affecting 30,000 customers, which were restored before noon Eastern Time.
Social media full of recordings
Recordings capturing the moment of the earthquake have surfaced on the internet. A video from a pub in Tainan went viral. Surveillance captured the moment the ground trembled. A few people are sitting by the bar, but the earthquake doesn't seem to faze them. They smile and point out the shaking lamp, not planning to leave the establishment.
Taiwan - frequent earthquakes
Taiwan lies at the junction of two tectonic plates, making it susceptible to earthquakes.
The last major earthquake occurred in April, when 7.2 magnitude tremors struck the eastern coast, killing 13 people.
The largest earthquake in Taiwan's history was in 1999, when 7.3 magnitude tremors killed over 2,000 people.
Source: Reuters
