Buildings collapse as 6.4 magnitude earthquake strikes Taiwan; 2 dead, 150 missing

Atleast two people were killed and more than 150 were injured after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck near the Taiwanese coastal city of Hualien late on Tuesday. The powerful quake caused at least four buildings in worst-hit Hualien county to cave in and tilt dangerously. Video footage and photos showed several midsized buildings leaning at sharp angles, their lowest floors crushed into mangled heaps of concrete, shattered glass, bent iron beams and other debris. (AP)

Taiwanese media reported that a separate hotel known as the Beautiful Life Hotel was tilting. Taiwan’s Central News Agency also posted photos showing a road fractured in several parts. In the picture, Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen, center back-facing, is briefed at the site of a collapsed building from the quake. (AP)

President Tsai Ing-wen went to the scene of the quake early on Wednesday to help direct rescue operations. "The president has asked the cabinet and related ministries to immediately launch the 'disaster mechanism' and to work at the fastest rate on disaster relief work," Tsai's office said in a statement. (AP)

Bridges and some highways were closed pending inspections after buckling due to the force of the quake. Schools and offices in Hualien County are also closed. (AP)

A maintenance worker who was rescued after being trapped in the hotel's basement said the force of the earthquake was unusual. "At first it wasn't that big ... we get this sort of thing all the time and it's really nothing. But then it got really terrifying," Chen Ming-hui said after he was reunited with his son and grandson. "It was really scary." (Reuters)

The force of the tremor buckled roads and disrupted electricity and water supplies to thousands of households. Rescuers used ladders, ropes and cranes to get residents to safety. (Reuters)

Speaking from a crisis center in Taipei, Cabinet spokesman Hsu Kuo-yung said rail links appeared to be unaffected and the runway of Hualien airport was intact. "We're putting a priority on Hualien people being able to return home to check on their loved ones," Hsu said. (Reuters)

Taiwan has frequent earthquakes due to its position along the “Ring of Fire”, the seismic faults encircling the Pacific Ocean where most of the world’s earthquakes occur. (Reuters)