Aftershocks rattle southern Taiwan as quake cleanup continues

Taipei, Jan. 22 (CNA) Aftershocks continued to shake southern Taiwan on Wednesday as parts of Chiayi and Tainan cleaned up in the wake of a magnitude 6.4 earthquake that struck early Tuesday.

As of noon Wednesday, 74 aftershocks, including 25 with a magnitude of 4.0 or above, had been recorded since the initial magnitude 6.4 quake struck at 12:17 a.m. Tuesday in Chiayi's Dapu Township, according to the Central Weather Administration.

In Tainan, where the quake's impact was centered in rural Nanxi, Yujing and Dongshan districts, 53 damaged structures had still to undergo safety evaluations as of Wednesday, the city government said.

In addition to the damaged buildings, 29 Tainan residents were injured in the quake, while 27 reports of damage to roads, bridges and other public infrastructure have been submitted, the city government said.

Meanwhile, the Chiayi County government said that 9,286 households that lost power and 527 households that experienced water stoppages after the quake had all had their services restored.

In addition, 11 roads that were closed due to quake damage in Dapu, Zhongpu and Fanlu townships had all been repaired and reopened as of Wednesday morning, the county government said.