Taipei - Saba:
A 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck southern Taiwan on Tuesday morning, slightly injuring 27 people and causing some material damage.
The Central Meteorological Administration in Taiwan said in a statement that the quake occurred 38 kilometers southeast of Chiayi County and at a depth of 10 kilometers.
The US Geological Survey had earlier reported that the quake's magnitude was 6.0, and there were scattered reports of minor to moderate damage in Chiayi and Tainan cities.
It said that 27 people were taken to hospitals to receive treatment for minor injuries, including six people who were rescued from a collapsed house in the Nanshi District of Tainan City. There were also reports of damage to a bridge on a provincial highway, but no deaths were reported, although rescue workers are still assessing the extent of the damage.
In April, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck the island's mountainous east coast in Hualien, killing at least 13 people and injuring more than 1,000. The strongest quake in 25 years was followed by hundreds of aftershocks.
Taiwan is prone to earthquakes because it lies on the "Ring of Fire," an area of intense seismic activity that stretches across Southeast Asia and the Pacific Basin.
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