Tainan: President Lai Ching-te (???) 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.
According to Focus Taiwan, 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.
Ministry of the Interior data on Thursday indicated that the earthquake injured 50 people nationwide but did not cause severe damage. Premier Cho Jung-tai (???) 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 subsidies to affected individuals and businesses, the Cabinet said in a report in May.