Beijing: A powerful earthquake has hit the southern Taiwanese city of Tainan, killing at least three and leaving dozens more feared trapped under a collapsed apartment building.
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The 6.4 magnitude quake struck before dawn on Saturday, sparking an emergency rescue response which has seen 221 rescued. Some 154 were hospitalised, with at least two in critical condition, just one day before the Lunar New Year's Eve, a time of family celebrations.
Among the dead were a 10-day-old infant and a 40-year-old man, according to Taiwan's Central News Agency. The agency said the 17-storey apartment building, which folded like an accordion, was believed to have housed 256 people in 92 households.
Several other buildings were severely damaged, including some tilting at precarious angles. But local fire authorities said the greatest danger remained the collapsed 17-storey building, where rescue efforts were focused.
"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 neighbour who gave his name as Chang told Reuters.
The earthquake was a shallow one, which often can prove particularly destructive. It struck just before 4am local time, a time where the vast majority of residents were at home in their beds. The tremors were felt across Taiwan and also across the straits in some southern provinces of mainland China.
Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou, was en route to Tainan, a city of some 2 million people.
"The disaster situation is not very clear yet," Mr Ma said, speaking to reporters in the capital before leaving for the disaster scene, "We will do our utmost to rescue and secure [survivors]."
Taiwanese news broadcasts relayed dramatic images of the rescue, which involved more than 1000 emergency workers and firefighters mounting hydraulic ladders and cranes, scaling the collapsed building, with each floor's pillars collapsing at 45-degree angles on top of each other, resembling a folded accordion.
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 signs of life in the rubble.
Earthquakes are a frequent occurrence in Taiwan and buildings are generally designed to withstand strong quakes and typhoons, which are also common.
Last year, four earthquakes of at least 6 in magnitude caused only minor damage. A 7.6 magnitude earthquake killed 2400 people in central Taiwan in 1999.
- With Reuters
