Massive 6.4 Earthquake kills at least five: More than 250 people injured

Massive 6.4 Earthquake kills at least five: More than 250 people injured

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Rescue workers pulled survivors and bodies from buildings tilting precariously in the Taiwanese city of Hualien on Wednesday after an overnight earthquake killed at least five, injured more than 200 and left dozens missing.

Emergency responders were focusing on a 12-story apartment block and a nearby hotel, both of which were leaning dangerously after their lower floors pancaked when the 6.4-magnitude quake hit the popular tourist city late on Tuesday.

Local broadcaster TVBS showed rescuers carrying a victim covered in a white sheet from the Marshal Hotel some 14 hours after the quake struck. A walking survivor was rescued a short while later.

In an afternoon update, the national fire agency said at least five people had been killed and 247 injured across the city. But the toll could rise as rescuers discovered further bodies.

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There were grave concerns for the badly leaning Yun Tsui residential building, which also housed a restaurant, shops, and a hostel.

The national fire agency said 88 people were unaccounted for as of 2 pm (6 am GMT) but it was not immediately clear how many of those were trapped inside buildings.

Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is regularly hit by earthquakes. The island’s worst tremor in recent decades was a 7.6 magnitude quake in September 1999 that killed around 2,400 people.