Rescuers continue to pull survivors from Taiwan earthquake rubble
World
Rescuers continue to pull survivors from Taiwan earthquake rubble
Two survivors — one found shielded by the body of her husband — were pulled out alive from a toppled high-rise apartment building on Monday, two days after a powerful quake struck southern Taiwan. The country’s Eastern Broadcasting Corp. reported that Tsao Wei-ling called out “here I am” as rescuers dug down to find her. A male survivor, Lee Tsung-tien, 42, was conscious when he was pulled out from the sixth floor section of the collapsed 17-story building. The death toll from the 6.4-magnitude quake was 37, but the mayor of the city of Tainan warned that the death toll was likely to exceed 100.
There needs to be a continued strengthening of their ability to deal with disasters.
President-elect Tsai Ing-wen
Rescue efforts are focused on the wreckage of the 17-story building, where 117 people are listed as missing and are suspected to be buried deep under the rubble. President-elect Tsai Ing-wen, who won election last month, said there needed to be a “general sorting out” of old buildings to make sure they were able to cope with disasters like earthquakes. Outgoing President Ma Ying-jeou said the government needed to do a better job in ensuring building quality.
