At 03:57 local time on 6 February 2016, an earthquake with a moment magnitude of 6.4 struck 28 km (17 mi) northeast of Pingtung City in southern Taiwan,[6] in the Meinong District of Kaohsiung.

[1] The island is the result of uplift caused by the collision between the northern end of the Luzon Arc and the continental margin of China.

[21][22] Later in the day, THSR made an announcement that the service between Taichung and Chiayi Station resumed after successful repair works.

[23] Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company reported that the silicon wafers at its Tainan factory were damaged, although it did not affect much of its shipment.

[24] United Microelectronics Corporation said that the earthquake triggered its plant safety measures to shut down the machines and that they would need recalibrating afterwards.

[24] The Ministry of the Interior immediately set up the Central Emergency Operation Center (CEOC) shortly after 4 a.m. once the earthquake had occurred.

Yen Teh-fa, Armed Forces Chief of the General Staff, was planned to be stationed at the joint military operations command center to oversee the rescue efforts.

[30] Tainan Air Force Base had been turned into a temporary shelter that could accommodate up to 1,400 people left homeless by the quake.

[31] Rescuers used sensors to detect signs of life and avoided using heavy machinery for fear of further collapsing the rubble and potentially trapping any survivors.

[35] During her visit to Tainan, President-elect Tsai Ing-wen said that safety checks of old buildings and urban renewal will be the top priority of her administration, later stating that Taiwan has become a developed society that demands improved public infrastructure and better quality of life.

[43] Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation sent more than 1,000 volunteers to 15 locations in Tainan with blankets, winter bedding, clothes and food for the earthquake survivors.

[42] In addition, some Taiwanese and foreign celebrities, like Jay Chou or Huang Xiaoming, donated to the relief efforts.

[42] Restaurant owners setup temporary kitchens to provide hot foods for rescue workers and relatives of the people who are still trapped under the building rubble.

The prosecutors detained Lin Ming-hui (林明輝), former chairman of the Weiguan company, as well as two other former executives Chang Kui-an (張奎安) and Cheng Chin-kui (鄭進貴), on charges of professional negligence resulting in death.