Taiwan earthquake: Tainan hit by 6.4-magnitude quake

A 10-month-old child was among five dead after a 16-storey apartment block was overthrown by a 6.4-magnitude earthquake in southern Taiwan Saturday with rescuers trying to free the residents still trapped emergency response center inside.The Tainan City is still lists 155 people were injured, but the news site ET today reports the number increased to 318 people admitted to hospital.

Officials said four buildings collapsed during the earthquake that hit the island in early morning hit, but rescue efforts focused on prefabricated house fell on its side.

Firefighters pulled survivors from the twisted concrete, trying to approach the windows of apartments and increased residues ladders.The child, man and woman pulled dead from the block, officials said, and brought to the hospital with 29 inhabitants.

These three men showed no signs of life before they were sent to the hospital, 'said Lin Kuan-Cheng, a spokesman for the National Fire Agency.More than 100 people have now been freed from the rubble, with local media reports tower contained more than 200 houses,

Officials were unable to estimate how many are still trapped because they seek bread gives building.As dawn Taiwanese television showed live survivors are carefully taken out of the building, including an elderly woman in a neck brace and others wrapped in blankets,

Concomitants of everyday life - partly broken air conditioning, bits of metal balcony windows - was wrapped in what appeared to rubble.People nearby with his arms fire men were helped out of the building and cranes were used to search the dark part of the structure for survivors,

At least 30 people were liberated from another apartment building with seven floors reports that more than 200 saved the city and more than 100 sent to hospital.One woman tells how she fought his way from his home in one of the collapsed blocks.

I used a hammer to the door of his house, which was twisted and break locked, and he managed to get out, 'she told a local TV channel is set, cry when spoke.Men in camouflage uniforms, said military personnel marched in the area of ​​the collapse of the large shovels. Aerial images of at least two different buildings, which shows what is considered significant destruction. It was not clear whether the two residential buildings.

Taiwanese news site ET today announced the mother and daughter were among 34 people taken from one of Wei Guan buildings and the girl drank too much while they await rescue, which came sooner than expected.

Temblor hit about 4:00 local time. It was located about 36 kilometers southeast of Yujing, and struck the ground about 10 km, according to the US Geological Survey.

It was felt as a long, gently stirring in the capital, Taipei, on the other side of the island. But Taipei was calm, without feeling distress or visible damage just before dawn.The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said a destructive tsunami throughout the Pacific is expected.

Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is regularly hit earthquakes.A powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake that struck central Taiwan in June 2013 killed four people and caused heavy landslides.A 7.6-magnitude earthquake hit the island in September 1999 and killed about 2,400 people.