At Least 11 Dead As Several Buildings Collapse In Taiwan Earthquake

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At least 11 people were killed when a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck Southern Taiwan yesterday causing multiple buildings, including a high-rise residential tower to collapse.

More than 200 people have been rescued as emergency teams searched through the rubble.

At least 30 people remain missing. Tainan’s mayor said people were alive but trapped under the rubble and all means would be used to rescue them.

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The epicenter of the quake was located at a shallow depth of 6.2 miles approximately 19 miles east-southeast of Tainan. The quake was initially reported as a magnitude 6.7

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Following the quake around 168,000 households were left without power in Tainan.

RT reports:

The emergency response center has confirmed that at least four people were killed at the site of the collapsed 17-story building in Tainan, including a 10-day-old infant, a 55-year-old woman and a 50-year-old man. In total at least seven 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.

The 17-floor apartment building houses over 250 people and consists of at least 90 households, according to City Government Fire Bureau information officer Lee Po Min.

At least 221 people have been rescued from that high-rise residential tower, the local fire brigade told Reuters.

At least 318 people were injured in Tainan as a result of the earthquake, AP reports.

More than 1,500 people are involved in rescue operations and at least 810 soldiers have been mobilized to help the efforts, Taiwan’s defence ministry said.

UPDATE [05.02-21:56] #Pingtung #Taiwan FORTE #TERREMOTO (20:57) M 6.4 -17 km pic.twitter.com/yQjxeerYIM

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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.