At least 27 injured after M6.4 earthquake hits Taiwan, equivalent to ‘two atomic bombs’
At least 27 people were injured after an M6.4 earthquake hit Chiayi County, Taiwan, on January 20, 2025. The quake damaged infrastructure, triggered landslides, and was felt as far as Taipei.
Wall collapsed due to earthquake in Taiwan on January 20, 2025. Image credit: Sneha Mordani
- The M6.4 earthquake in Taiwan’s Chiayi County injured at least 27 people and caused damage to infrastructure.
- The tremors were felt across multiple cities, including Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Taipei.
- Additional aftershocks with magnitudes of 5 or higher are possible over the next three days.
A strong M6.4 earthquake struck Taiwan’s Chiayi County at 16:17 UTC (00:17 local time on January 21) on January 20, injuring at least 27 people and causing structural damage, including the collapse of a house in Tainan’s Nanxi district and damage to the Zhuwei bridge.
The energy released by the earthquake was equivalent to two atomic bombs, according to Kuo Kai-wen, former director of the Central Weather Administration’s (CWA) seismology center.
Tremors were felt as far as Taipei, causing several high-rise buildings to sway, while neighboring cities such as Tainan and Kaohsiung also experienced the quake’s effects.
No fatalities have been reported, but several structures were damaged, and some homes partially collapsed.
The Chiayi County government suspended work and classes in Dapu township, the area closest to the epicenter. Roads were severely damaged, rendering travel impossible, while water and electricity supplies were disrupted.
In Xixing village, 50 residents were trapped after landslides caused by the quake blocked road access. Six homes were damaged in Tainan’s Nanshi district, where rescuers pulled 11 residents to safety, including a one-month-old baby. Three people sustained minor injuries and were hospitalized, according to the fire department.
Over 50 aftershocks were recorded in Chiayi, Tainan, and Kaohsiung. Seismologists warned of potential aftershocks of magnitude 5 or higher in the next three days as seismic energy continues to be released.
The quake caused a fire at a printing factory in Chiayi, but it was extinguished without any reported injuries.
A M7.4 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan in April 2024, killing 13 people and injuring more than 1 000. Similarly, a 2016 earthquake in southern Taiwan claimed over 100 lives.
Taiwan lies on the boundary of two tectonic plates and experiences frequent earthquakes. The 1906 Meishan earthquake near Chiayi killed over 1 200 people, while the 1999 Jiji earthquake claimed more than 2 000 lives.
Wu Chien-fu, director of the CWA’s seismological center, explained that earthquakes in southwestern Taiwan are typically caused by compression of the eastern tectonic plate. This stress transfers westward, resulting in shallow epicenters with intensely felt tremors.
Wu clarified that the latest earthquake was unrelated to the Meishan Fault, which caused the devastating 1906 disaster. He stated that the epicenter of the Tuesday tremors was 50 km (31 miles) away.
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References:
1 Taiwan braces for more shocks after 6.4-magnitude earthquake terrifies residents – SCMP – January 21, 2024
2 Strong earthquake in Taiwan injures 27 and causes scattered damage – AP – January 21, 2024
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“How long shall My beloved wander in desolate places?! How long shall they strip the fruitful field bare and pollute the springs of living water?! The innocent are destroyed, and the earth is forsaken! The cities of men are a harbor for every foul and detestable bird, a nest for every kind of evil; behold, great wickedness dwells there! Therefore the earth shall rise up against the sons of men, and nature shall break forth in its fury and fight against them, until all in the earth grow weary and the heart of this people is torn!–A rent which is deep, a rent made wide.
Behold, the earth shall shake and rumble from beneath, the cities shall break apart and the towers shall be toppled, and the glory of man shall be utterly devastated! The blood of the innocent shall cry out from the ground, every atrocity of man shall be remembered, when The Lord God strikes the earth with plague and famine and the waters turn to blood!
For the generation of My wrath shall be shaken, the generation of My fury shall be broken without hand! Behold, the storm is already overhead, the whirlwind breaks forth from the midst of the clouds! SEEK SHELTER! For I have set My face against you, O sons of men, and with a strong hand and an outstretched arm I shall surely punish the inhabitants of the earth!
Therefore hear and understand, receive of this Word and write this wisdom in your hearts. For upon these words does all life, all knowledge and all truth rest, even by which all things consist: I am The Way, The Truth, and The Life. And this is pure, undefiled love, the only means by which The Law of The Father may be fulfilled: You shall love The Lord your God with ALL your heart, with ALL your mind, with ALL your soul and with ALL your strength; and yes, beloved, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. For this is to walk in Me, this is to abide in Me, the only true religion in which is life.
For apart from this is only enmity and rebellion against God, the ways of the world and the evil one, darkness of faces, bringing forth much pain and death, a multitude of tears and sorrow. Beloved, it is time that My servants learn to walk in My strength, for the day is far spent. It is time for those I am sending to drink deeply from My cup and embrace Me fully, that My grace may cover them as they prepare My way before Me.
Yet let all others fall away. Let the obstinate depart and the lukewarm pass to the wayside, until that which was planted at the first takes root, and that which was sown in the dry and cracked ground is watered once again. For I am coming quickly, and I will surely call out, and the first of many shall be gone from this place.
Behold, I shall reveal My glory and the power of My strength, and the Word of The Lord shall speak! Desolations shall continue until the Consummation, and the hidden treasure shall appear out of the ground when I arise and shake the earth mightily! For as the shaking of an olive tree, or grape gleanings after the harvest, so shall I gather the remnant in the day of grief and bitter sorrow.
For I am The Lord. I know what is most needful, I alone do what is right. And though I afflict, I will also heal; and though I strike the people in My wrath, I will also bind up their wounds. Behold, I shall bring the kingdoms of men to utter ruin, and make the face of the earth a desolation; for I AM HE who shall create new heavens and a new earth, in which justice shall run down like water and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. For as I have spoken, so I speak; as I am, so shall I be… Says The King of Power and Glory, The Only Lord of Hosts, The Holy One of Israel.”
(From The Volumes of Truth, Volume Seven, excerpts from “I Am Calling You Out: Part One”)