TAIWAN: A massive earthquake has struck Taiwan near the southern city of
Tainan, with five people confirmed dead and dozens feared stuck under a
collapsed apartment block.
Tainan city government
said 221 people had been liberated and more than 100 hospitalized.
Emergency administrators
said a 10-day-old infant and three other people died when a 17-storey
residential building collapsed. Around 35 people are still believed to be
trapped under the wreckage.
The agency said 256
people were believed to have been living in 92 households in the Wei Guan
building.
The Taiwanese president,
Ma Ying-jeou, speaking to reporters in the capital before leaving for the
scene, said authorities were not clear on the extent of the disaster.
“The disaster situation
is not very clear yet. We will do our utmost to rescue and secure survivors,”
Ma said.
The US Geological Survey recorded powerful earthquakes of 6.4
magnitude early on Saturday morning local time, following initial reports of a
6.7 magnitude earthquake.
Fire brigade rescuers
mounted hydraulic ladders and a crane to scour the wreckage and help survivors
to safety. One elderly woman, wrapped in blankets, was strapped to a board and
slowly slid down a ramp to the ground as the cries of those still trapped rang
out. Rescuers used dogs and acoustic equipment to pick up weaker signs of life
among the wreckage.
Residents and media outlets in the area took to social media
with cellphone videoclips of the aftermath, as fire crews tried to rescue
people from wrecked buildingsamid the sound of screaming and emergency vehicle
sirens.
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