Southern Taiwan was hit was hit by a magnitude 6.4 earthquake early Saturday, with heavy damage reported. Rescue crews are trying to save people feared to be trapped inside a collapsed building in the city of Tainan.
08 February 2016
The death toll of the Saturday morning earthquake in Taiwan now stands at 35 people. More that 100 people are still missing.
More than 48 hours after the Tainan quake, rescuers managed to save a woman from the wreckage of a collapsed building, Reuters reported, citing a witness.
07 February 2016
A 20-year-old man has been pulled alive from a collapsed apartment tower, after spending more than 24 hours under the rubble, local media reports.
Emergency crews in Tainan are focusing their resources on saving some 30 people who are closest to the rescuers and not buried deep under the wreckage.
A total of 132 people remain missing in the debris of the Wei-guan apartment building, according to a Tainan city official, who said most of them seem to be trapped deep under the rubble.
At least 18 people have been confirmed dead in the Taiwan quake so far, most of them inside the collapsed residential complex in Tainan.
06 February 2016
The number of people killed in the Taiwan earthquake has increased to 14, AP reports citing Tainan city authorities. Taiwan's Emergency Management Information center has revised the number of injured to 477, adding that 380 of them have been discharged from hospitals. Taiwan's official Central News Agency reported that 172 people are missing. About 340 people have been rescued from the rubble in Tainan so far.
The death toll in the Taiwan earthquake has reached 13, AP reports citing local authorities. The disaster has injured 475 people, but 368 of these have already been discharged from hospitals. One hundred people are still missing.
The officials have now put the number of dead in the quake to 11, AP reported.
"I was watching TV and after a sudden burst of shaking, I heard a boom. I opened my metal door and saw the building opposite fall down," a 71-year-old local resident told Reuters.
The death toll from the Taiwan earthquake has reached eight, officials confirmed, as cited by Reuters, adding that at least five people are unaccounted for.
A 10-day-old baby girl and a 40-year-old man are among the dead, Chen Wei-zen, head of the island's interior affairs authority, said at a press conference.
Local media said the collapsed building complex included a care center for newborns and mothers
At least 318 people have been injured in Tainan as a result of the earthquake, AP reports.
The death toll in Tainan city has risen to five, the emergency response center said.
Mainland China has offered Taiwan help in dealing with the consequences of the aftermath of the earthquake, which considers the island nation to be part of its territory, despite Taipei's proclamation of independence.
The Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) made contact with Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) shortly after the quake, the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office said. Beijing has offered its condolences and said it will offer any assistance needed.
More than 1,500 people are involved in rescue efforts, Tainan disaster center said.
At least four people have been confirmed dead by Tainan's authorities, NHK World reports. At least seven buildings were damaged in the quake, with 224 survivors rescued out of the rubble.
At least 810 soldiers have been mobilized for rescue efforts, Taiwan’s defence ministry said.
The world's largest contract chipmaker for electronic devices, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), said that the quake has damaged some of its wafers made in Tainan, Reuters reports.
The company warns that some customers might be affected but promised to step up production to make up for any delayed shipments.
About 900 households have been left without electricity, according to Taipower. Immediately following the 6.4 quake, 168,000 households were left without power in Tainan.
Soldiers have been deployed to help look for survivors in Tainan.
Dozens have been rescued from a market and a seven-floor building that was badly damaged, the Central News Agency reported. The agency added that a bank building damaged in the quake caused no injuries.
Tainan's emergency response center believes that the 17-story Wei Guan residential building had 256 people, comprising 92 households, living there at the time of the quake.
At least 154 people were hospitalized following a 6.4-magnitude earthquake, AP reports. At least 221 people were rescued.
The emergency response center says that three people were killed, including a 10-day-old infant, a 55-year-old woman and a 50-year-old man, AP reports.
Further CCTV footage has surfaced on YouTube showing a family scrambling for their lives as the 6.4 earthquake struck Tainan in early hours of Saturday morning.
The Tainan city government said 221 people have been rescued to far, and that 115 have been hospitalized. It added that two people have suffered cardiac arrest.
Local news outlets are reporting that President Ma Ying-jeou is on his way to Tainan.
More than 160 survivors have been pulled out the rubble of collapsed residential buildings in Tainan following the strong earthquake, AP reports.
At least 127 people were rescued out of a 17-story Wei Guan residential building. Out of them, 29 people suffered injuries. According to Taiwan's official news agency, a 10-day-old infant and a 40-year-old man are in a critical condition. The house had about 200 people living inside and was made up of about 60 households.
A further 34 people were rescued from another Wei Guan high-rise, that had 16 floors and was home to 150 families. According to AP, several other buildings also suffered damage.
Special rescue dogs are being used in the emergency response effort to locate people in the collapsed buildings.
The city mayor has confirmed that at least two people are dead at the site of the collapsed 17-story building.
Aerial footage shows the extent of destruction in Tainan following Saturday's earthquake. Rescue work continues as dozens are believed to be still trapped inside the rubble of the 17-story building.
05 February 2016
The 17-floor apartment building houses about 240 people and consists of at least 60 households, according to City Government Fire Bureau information officer Lee Po Min. According to Reuters at least 123 have been rescued from the rubble.
China's People's Daily reports that many people trapped under the debris have been shouting for help.
As the sun rises, firefighters continue to undertake rescue work in Tainan, deploying heavy machinery to dig through the rubble. Helicopters are also aiding the rescuers.
CCTV black and white footage shot from Tainan building shows earthquake striking.
Local media reports say that all residents in the 7-story building have been rescued, according to EpochTimes.
According to EpochTimes, China, seven people were slightly injured in a retail market in Tainan. Another person was slightly injured in the Quy Nhon district.
Local channel Formosa TV is broadcasting the Taiwan emergency team’s search of collapsed and damaged buildings for survivors.
At least 123 people have been rescued from a 17-story building in Tainan, the local fire brigade told Reuters.
Formosa TV said 37 people were rescued from another seven-story property in Tainan.
A video has emerged online showing the moment that the 6.4 earthquake struck Taiwan in early hours of Saturday morning.
According the BBC, a local bank building is heavily skewed to the right, leaning towards a nearby houses, but fortunately there are have been no reports of casualties.
The Disaster Response Center also received a number of calls about people being trapped inside an elevator.
The city has opened a Disaster treatment center, with Mayor Lai Qingde having been placed in command.
In Yongkang District, a 16-story building has collapsed, with those rescued by firefighters being taken to a nearby hospital, BBC China reports.
Another building damaged in the earthquake is rumored to have had seven to eight people trapped inside it.
Tainan City has been hit by flooding as the result of broken water lines in some areas, according to local media reports.
At least two injuries have been reported as a result of falling debris in the Huwei Township of Yunlin County, BNO news reports.
At least four buildings have collapsed as a result of the earthquake.
"Four buildings have collapsed in Tainan City area. Search and rescue is underway and no casualties have been reported at this moment," Lin Kuan-cheng, spokesman for the National Fire Agency, told AFP.
So far rescuers have managed to save 30 people from the seven-story collapsed building, Formosa TV is reporting.
Taiwan Television is reporting that hundreds of people are believed to be trapped inside the collapsed building.
The city government has set up a level one emergency response center, Taiwan's China Post reports. Onlookers are being urged not to block access to emergency crews moving into the area.
Tainan City Fire Department confirmed that a building has collapsed in the Yongkang District in Tainan, with rescue team being dispatched, BBC China reports.
No fatalities have yet been officially confirmed, according to local Formosa TV.
No tsunami warning has been issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning center following a strong earthquake in Taiwan.