Several residential buildings in Tainan's Nanxi District collapsed following
this morning's magnitude 6.4 earthquake that struck Chiayi County.

According to the Tainan Fire Bureau, more than 10 houses in Nanxi District
either collapsed and suffered serious damage as a result of the earthquake.

Fire bureau officials say 11 people were rescued from six of the most
seriously damaged houses and four of them sustained injuries and have been
hospitalized.

Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che visited those who's home suffered serious damage
at around 2 o'clock this morning and said that warm clothing and hot meals
are be provided and his administration will provide all necessary assistance
to those affected by the earthquake.

The earthquake struck at 12:17 and was centered some 38-kilometers southeast
of Chiayi County Hall, at a depth of 9-kilometers.

It was felt strongest Chiayi County, where it registered a magnitude 6 on the
Central Weather Administration's intensity index.

The quake registered a magnitude 5 on the intensity index in parts of Tainan
and Kaohsiung.

Power outages were reported in nearly 7,000 households in Kaohsiung's Namasia
District and several other areas - but Tai-Power says electricity was
restored to all of the affected households within 30-minutes.

Aftershocks continued overnight and into this morning ranging from between
magnitudes 2 and 5.

Meanwhile,

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing says it evacuated its employees from
several factories in the center and south following the magnitude 6.4
earthquake.

According to T-S-M-C, evacuations were carried out at its facilities in the
Central Taiwan Science Park in Taichung and at the Southern Taiwan Science
Park in Tainan as part of its emergency response procedures.

The Southern Taiwan Science Park Bureau has reported that machines at major
facilities in the park were shut down as a precaution following the quakes.

Employees were evacuated, and no injuries have been reported.

The Central Weather Administration's Seismological Center says that
aftershocks of up to magnitude 5 could continue over the coming three days in
the Chiayi and Tainan areas.