Friday, March 29, 2024

Three dead as buildings collapse after 'enormous' 6.4 magnitude Taiwan earthquake

Three dead as buildings collapse after 'enormous' 6.4 magnitude Taiwan earthquake
February 6, 2016

TAIPEI (92 News) – At least three people have been killed and dozens more are feared dead after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake shook Taiwan toppling buildings on Saturday.

Rescuers in the southern Taiwanese city of Tainan pulled out 221 people and three dead from a residential high-rise complex that collapsed when a shallow 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck before dawn Saturday, leaving still others trapped inside.

Firefighters and soldiers scrambled with ladders, cranes and other equipment to the building that folded like an accordion in a pile of rubble and twisted metal and extracted dazed survivors.

The quake, initially reported as a magnitude 6.7, was struck 27 miles southeast of the city – in which nearly two million people leave. The quake was described as "enormous" and a "big one" on social networking sites.

The earthquake caused buildings to sway and doors and windows to crack. Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau also measured a second quake of 4.3 magnitude centered in Tainan. It's believed a third quake measuring 4.5 also hit southern Taiwan. The first quake was felt as a lengthy, rolling shake in the capital, Taipei, on the other side of the island.