Hundreds trapped in damaged buildings as quake hits Taiwan
Xinhua, February 6, 2016 Adjust font size:
A 6.4-magnitude earthquake in southern Taiwan early Saturday morning damaged several buildings, with at least one building collapsed, trapping hundreds of residents.
Rescuers have saved more than 160 people, with two losing signs of life, local media reported.
By 7:10 a.m., rescuers saved 127 people from a 17-storey building in Tainan, among which 29 were hospitalized. About 200 people are believed to have been living inside the high-rise building.
A 10-day baby girl and a 40-year-old man lost signs of life, according to local media report.
The earthquake hit Kaohsiung of Taiwan at a depth of 15 kilometers at 3:57 a.m. Beijing Time on Saturday, according to China Earthquake Networks Center. The epicenter was monitored at 22.94 degrees north latitude and 120.54 degrees east longitude.
According to the island's weather and earthquake monitoring agency, the earthquake, measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale and with a depth of 16.7 kilometers, was centered about 27 km northeast of Pingtung county seat. Endi