Several dead, over 100 missing after powerful earthquake rattles Taiwan

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Several dead, over 100 missing after powerful earthquake rattles Taiwan

Rescuers raced to find additional survivors after a powerful, shallow earthquake struck southern Taiwan before dawn Saturday and collapsed a high-rise residential complex, killing at least 14 people and sending scores to hospitals. The death toll was rising in the historic city of Tainan, which bore the brunt of the 6.4-magnitude quake, as rescuers scoured rubble for survivors. An entire residential complex of four buildings containing almost 100 homes toppled, left on its side with twisted metal girders exposed and clouds of dust rising from the jumbled concrete.

Local media said the building included a care center for newborns and mothers, and a newborn was among the dead in the disaster. Liu Shih-chung, city government deputy secretary general, said television footage of the ruins of the commercial-residential building suggested the possibility of structural problems related to poor-quality reinforced steel and cement. The quake came two days before the start of Lunar New Year celebrations that mark the most important family holiday in the Chinese calendar.