臺南州
The earthquake struck at 03:19 local time on 17 December 1941. At a magnitude of 7.1 and with a focal depth of , the quake was felt throughout the island. The epicentre was in Tainan Prefecture in modern-day Zhongpu, Chiayi, just southeast of Chiayi City, and was close to the location of the 1906 Meishan earthquake, which hit in the neighbouring township of Meishan.