Taiwan quake causes fires, crumbles buildings, hurts 64 (Roundup)

Mar 4, 2010, 13:56 GMT

Taipei - A magnitude-6.4 earthquake rocked southern Taiwan Thursday, injuring at least 64 people and causing five fires, including a serious one at a factory, and the collapse of 20 buildings, officials said.

The quake, centred in the county of Kaohsiung, 400 kilometres south of Taipei, struck at a depth of 5 kilometres at 8:18 am (0018 GMT), officials of the Central Weather Bureau's earthquake centre said.

'It was the first time in 100 years any earthquake of over 6 magnitude had struck in Chiahsin township in Kaohsiung county,' said Lu Pei-ling, deputy director of the centre.

The quake in Taiwan was followed by 23 major aftershocks with one measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale and 12 measuring more than 4 in magnitude, Lu said.

The earthquake sent panicked residents onto the streets, according to local television, which aired footage showing people rushing out of supermarkets and stores filled with fallen objects.

At least 64 people, including 12 near the earthquake centre, were rushed to hospitals for treatment after the tremor, the island's National Disaster Prevention and Protection Commission said in a statement.

The conditions of the injured were listed as stable by doctors, it said.

The commission said 20 living quarters collapsed while 340 schools were damaged. It also said 540,000 households suffered from temporary power outages, and 2,374 passengers had to be evacuated from high-speed trains because of the suspension of seven train runs.

Five fires, including a serious one at a large textile factory in the southern county of Tainan, were reported, the commission said.

Police said the factory fire, apparently caused by electricity that set off a large quantity of fuel stored at the plant, had yet to be brought under control after 13 hours.

'All 2,000 employees there, however, were evacuated to safety,' a police spokesman said by phone.

There were several minor landslides in the mountain area of Kaohsiung, and police had to seal off a bridge in nearby Pingtung county because of a crack in the structure.

The quake was also felt in Hong Kong, 655 kilometres west of the epicentre, where residents reported feeling ground movement, according to a government statement.