Search and Rescue Operations Continue After 6.4 Magnitude Taiwan Earthquake
Rescue personnel and other volunteers are still working through rubble to find survivors after two days an earthquake hit Taiwan, Saturday, Feb. 6, days before the most important family holiday in Chinese culture--the Chinese New Year.
The recent earthquake left 37 casualties, 24 of which were from Weiguan Jinlong apartment building located in the city of Tainan which has "folded like an accordion after the quake struck," as stated by presidential spokeswoman Ma Wei-kuo.
Of all the cities in Taiwan, the government of Tainan was the worst-hit of the quake. As reported by ABC 7, the rescuers were able to rescue more than 170 people from the collapsed 17-story building. Meanwhile, more than 100 people were still believed to be buried according to the Tainan Disaster Emergency Center.
Wendy Chuang, a reporter in Taiwan described to the CBS Radio News how the said building became unrecognizable after the quake.
"Actually if no one told me, it's hard to tell that's a building because it just fell down and you can't tell which way it fell down actually," Wendy Chuang said. "You can't find where's the doors, where's the front, where's the back," she added.
According to Tainan Mayor Lai Ching-te, the rescuers were able to trace many people despite the building's unrecognizable appearance by asking information from residents about the possible locations of those who were still trapped inside.
Chien, one of the residents who experienced the earthquake attack, shared her story to CNA saying: "I was trapped in a room in a building toppled by the quake." The scene was really frightening. It was one of the scariest ordeals I have dealt before, she added.
What happened to Weiguan Jinlong apartment building, which was built in 1989, after the quake has raised questions whether the building has been poorly developed or not. Though the building was not listed as one of Taiwan's dangerous structure, Chen Wei-zen, Taiwan's interior minister, promised that an investigation will soon be conducted regarding the issue.
"Taiwan is very used to earthquakes and tremors, but this is far more significant than the island has seen in quite a while," Elise Hu, an NPR correspondent who was in Taipei when the quake hit, told CNN.
In 1999, Taiwan had already experienced a magnitude-7.6 quake leaving almost 2,000 casualties. Chien, still one of those people who were affected by the 1999 quake, said "I moved to Tainan after I got married and now I have encountered another major earthquake," Chien shared.
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