President Lai visits Tainan following magnitude 6.4 earthquake

Tainan, Jan. 25 (CNA) President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) promised government support and relief to those affected by the magnitude 6.4 earthquake that struck southern Taiwan earlier this week during his visit to Tainan on Saturday.

"The government will provide support and care [to the affected households] comparable to the assistance offered to the victims of the earthquake in Hualien on April 3," Lai said as he visited Tainan's mountainous Yujing and Nanxi districts.

The two areas, located near the epicenter of the magnitude 6.4 earthquake that hit Chiayi County's Dapu Township on Jan. 21, reported 29 people injured and more than 1,000 households sustaining either structural damage with safety concerns or damage without safety concerns, Lai said.

The government's aim is to ensure the safety of the public and swift recovery of the affected, he said.

According to Ministry of the Interior data Thursday, the earthquake injured 50 people nationwide but did not cause severe damage.

Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) made similar pledges when he visited Tainan on Thursday, saying that government aid and other support for those affected should be expedited.

After the April 2024 earthquake in Hualien, which killed 16 people and injured 1,555, the government provided emergency relief, repair and reconstruction subsidies, and loan and interest subsides to affected individuals and businesses, the Cabinet said in a report in May.