Death toll from eastern Taiwan earthquake rises to 10

台灣東部地震造成死亡人數上升到10人

10 dead, 58 missing and 267 injured after magnitude 6.0 quake strikes eastern Taiwan's Hualien


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- The death toll from a magnitude 6.0 earthquake which struck Hualien County in eastern Taiwan on Feb. 6 has risen to ten, while 58 remain missing and 267 have sustained injuries, according the Central Emergency Operation Center.

On Feb. 6 at 11:50 p.m., a magnitude 6.0 quake struck 18.3 kilometers northeast of Hualien County hall at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers, an intensity level of 7 was felt in Hualien County for a full 70 seconds, causing multiple buildings to collapse, trapping many inside as they slept.

A number of large buildings collapsed due to the powerful seismic forces released from the shallow quake, with many occupants becoming trapped inside. Currently, there are 37 people believed to be trapped inside the residential apartment section of the partially collapsed Yun Men Tsui Ti building (雲門翠堤大樓), which is leaning precariously by 30 degrees. While there are 10 missing from Beauty Inn hotel, which is also inside the Yun Men Tsui Ti building.

An employee of the Beauty Inn, Chiang Chen-chang (江振昌), was found dead this morning, bringing the death toll from the quake to nine. Five guests of the hotel were found dead earlier.

There are 12 people reported as missing who dwell in the Guosheng Sixth Street Platinum Twin Star building, while 3 are missing from the Guosheng Wuju Wusu building, thus making the total number of missing persons from the quake stand at 62.

Rescuers are being hampered by the incessant aftershocks, which have been hammering the area both before and after the deadly magnitude 6.0 quake. A 5.7 quake struck at 11:21 last night, while a 4.8 temblor struck at 8:54 this morning, which delivered a high intensity level of 6.


Yun Men Tsui Ti building. (CNA image)