The recent 6.4 earthquake in Chiayi brings back painful memories to older residents of a similar earthquake in Tainan which happened 61 years ago.
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The recent magnitude 6.4 earthquake in Chiayi has prompted swift inspections and repairs, including addressing severe cracks and deformation on the Zhuwei Bridge in Yujing, Tainan.
The quake, occurring on early Tuesday morning, jolted residents awake and reminded older locals of the 1964 Baihe earthquake in Tainan. The magnitude 6.3 quake caused 106 deaths and 650 injuries, making it one of Taiwan’s deadliest.
A comparison of coordinates reveals that the Chiayi earthquake and the Baihe earthquake have nearly overlapping epicenters, separated by just 10 kilometers, which many find surprising.
Director of the Central Weather Administration’s Seismological Center, Wu Chien-fu (吳健富), said that multiple earthquakes over magnitude 5.5 have occurred within a 30-kilometer radius of this area, as nearby fault zones are highly active. He emphasized however that the causes of earthquakes are complex and require further research.