Earthquake in Taiwan: at least seven dead and 300 injured

An earthquake of magnitude 6.4 struck Tainan City this morning (in the south). Several buildings were destroyed and dozens of people believed trapped in the rubble. The city was very busy for the upcoming Chinese New Year.

 

Tainan (AsiaNews) - An earthquake measuring 6.4 struck the city of Tainan (of the country) at 4 am local time. The provisional toll is seven dead and more than 300 injured. The earthquake caused the collapse of several buildings. One of the areas most affected is the residential complex of Wei Kuan, where at least 200 people were rescued while 30 others are still trapped in the rubble.

Interior Minister Chen Wei-jen said he was concerned about the large number of people who may be under the rubble, given the big crowd of people gathered to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

Rescue teams have intervened on the spot, evacuating damaged buildings and by securing the population. In the first moments after the earthquake, the Tainan residents have tried to escape by their own means: breaking through those doors with a hammer, jumping out of windows with ropes formed from woven clothing.

According to witnesses, the quake lasted about 40 seconds, with five aftershocks. The vibrations were felt up to the capital Taipei, about 300 kilometers north.

Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is frequently hit by earthquakes. In 1999, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake killed more than 2,300 people in the center of the country.

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