TAIPEI: A 6.0-magnitude earthquake hit Taiwan on Tuesday (Jan 21), the US Geological Survey (USGS) said, injuring 27 people 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.
A video posted on Facebook and verified by AFP showed local fire authorities rescuing three people, including a child, who were trapped in a house that collapsed in nearby Nanxi district.
The ceilings of several other houses in the district were caved in.
Elsewhere, a person was injured by falling debris while two people were reported trapped in elevators, authorities said.
The health ministry said a total of 27 people were injured, while the Nanxi district fire brigade said “no major damage” had been reported.
Taiwanese chipmaking giant TSMC said it evacuated workers from some of its central and southern factories.
In Chiayi City, about 40km north of Yujing, CCTV footage inside a nut shop that was shared on Threads and verified by AFP showed shelves swaying and goods falling to the floor.
