A 6.4 magnitude quake struck Taiwan Thursday morning, stopping transportation, damaging buildings, and cutting off electricity.

The initial tremor was followed by at least 20 more aftershocks throughout the day.

Security cameras recorded the effects of the quake as items fell off the shelves in supermarkets, school children were evacuated to open grounds, and nurses in a hospital comforted babies and pulled their cradles away from the walls.

"I was very nervous at the time, but my first reaction was to think about how to protect the babies."

The epicenter of the quake was in the mountains northeast of the city of Kaohsiung.

The quake also set off five fires, including one at a textile factory, and caused 16 elevators to get stuck, including some in a hospital.

About half-a-million households are without electricity.

Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou directed local governments to closely monitor for aftershocks and warned that heavy rainfall could loosen mountain slopes.

The quake was also felt in Taipei, where buildings shook for several minutes.