6.4 Quake Hits Taiwan

Southern Taiwan was shaken by a 6.4-magnitude earthquake Thursday morning that damaged buildings and a few major bridges. No deaths or injuries were reported. The epicenter was in a mountainous region about 25 miles northwest of Taitung, on the southeast coast, and 40 miles east of Tainan and Kaohsiung on the southwest coast. It was the second natural disaster to hit the region in seven months, after Typhoon Morakot killed hundreds of people in August with two feet of rain and deadly mudslides. Meanwhile, Chile was briefly on alert this afternoon when it was hit by a 5.9-magnitude aftershock, four days after its latest major earthquake. But no injuries or damage were reported and there is no tsunami warning in effect.