Earthquake strikes Taiwan; minor injuries, damage reported

Fire Department officials say six people, including a child, were rescued from a collapsed house in Nanxi District, Tainan city

Taipei: An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6 struck southern Taiwan early Tuesday, according to the US Geological Survey.

The quake hit at 12:17 am (1600 GMT Monday), with its epicentre 12 km (7 miles) north of Yujing at a preliminary depth of 10 km (6 miles), USGS said. Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration recorded a magnitude of 6.4.

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There were no immediate reports of deaths from the quake, though rescuers were still assessing damage.

Taiwan’s Fire Department said that six people, including a child, were rescued from a collapsed house in Nanxi District, Tainan city, with minor injuries. Another person was injured by falling objects. The Zhuwei bridge on a provincial highway was reported to be damaged.

Last April, a magnitude 7.4 quake hit the island’s mountainous eastern coast of Hualien, killing at least 13 people and injuring more than 1,000 others. The strongest earthquake in 25 years was followed by hundreds of aftershocks.

Taiwan lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” the line of seismic faults encircling the Pacific Ocean where most of the world’s earthquakes occur.