Taiwan Earthquake Update: Magnitude 6.4 Rocks Country; Casualties Reported

UPDATE: 7:30 p.m. EST — The death toll in Taiwan continued to rise Saturday after a magnitude-6.4 earthquake toppled buildings in the city of Tainan. At least 14 people were killed and another 500 injured, according to BBC News. Meanwhile, China’s state-owned China Central Television reported 17 people had been killed.

UPDATE: 8 a.m. EST — Thirteen people have so far been confirmed dead in the earthquake that shook Taiwan in the early hours of Saturday. According to local authorities, over 100 people are still missing, the Associated Press reported.

UPDATE: 6:30 a.m. EST — The death toll in Saturday's earthquake in Taiwan has reportedly risen to 11, and 26 people are still unaccounted for. So far, a total of 230 people have been pulled out from the rubble of a 17-story residential building that collapsed in the city of Tainan, according to media reports.

UPDATE: 3:20 a.m. EST — The death toll from the earthquake that struck the south Taiwanese city of Tainan early Saturday has risen to seven. At least 30 people are still feared trapped in the debris of a 17-story apartment complex that toppled when the 6.4 magnitude temblor struck, according to media reports.

UPDATE: 11:40 p.m. EST — The death toll in Saturday's magnitude-6.4 quake in Taiwan has risen to five, the Associated Press reported, citing information from the Tainan city emergency response center.

The center listed 155 people as injured, but the news website ET Today reported that 318 people had been taken to hospitals, AP reported.

UPDATE: 9:36 p.m. EST — Taiwan authorities confirmed that a 10-day-old infant and a 40-year-old man were two of the casualties after a strong earthquake struck Taipan, Taiwan Saturday morning. The two were killed when a 17-story apartment building collapsed, according to Reuters.

UPDATE: 8:18 p.m. EST — The death toll has risen to three from the damage provoked by a magnitude-6.4 earthquake in Taiwan, the Associated Press reported. Taiwan authorities said 154 people were hospitalized after the quake in Tainan.

UPDATE: 7:26 p.m. EST — Following an earthquake in Taiwan on Saturday morning, at least two people have been reported killed and 31 others hospitalized, according to Reuters. The two dead were among more than 160 people affected by the collapse of a 17-story apartment building in the southeastern city of Tainan.

More than 160 people have been rescued from the wreckage, the Associated Press reported. In a Facebook post, President-elect Tsai Ing-wen asked people to refrain from crowding scenes and hindering relief efforts.

UPDATE: 6:40 p.m. EST — The 6.4 magnitude earthquake that rattled Taiwan on Saturday morning knocked down a 17-story apartment building in the city of Tainan. Rescue crews responded to the scene, freeing 123 people so far from the wreckage.

No fatalities have been reported. The apartment building is home to 60 households, the Tainan Fire Bureau told Reuters. All power plants in Tainan are structurally sound following the earthquake, the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company said.

UPDATE: 4:05 p.m. EST — Taiwan was hit by a 6.4 magnitude earthquake, initially reported as 6.7 by the U.S. Geological Survey, and a second earthquake that Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau reported had a 4.3 magnitude. Both earthquakes occurred early Saturday morning near the city of Tainan, which is on the southeast coast of Taiwan.

Taiwanese citizens woken by the first earthquake at 3:57 a.m. local time posted videos and photos of damage to social media.

The Honolulu Department of Emergency Management assured residents that there was no tsunami threat to Hawaii. There have been no tsunami warnings issued in Taiwan either, according to BNO News.

Original story:

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.7 shook Taiwan early Saturday local time, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. The quake occurred on the southeast coast 19 miles from the city of Tainan, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage.

The earthquake occurred at a shallow depth of 6.2 miles, according to Reuters. It is one of several major earthquakes to rattle Asian and Pacific countries this year. Two major earthquakes were reported in Japan earlier this month.

Magnitudes of 4.5 or higher earthquakes are strong enough to be recorded in seismographs around the world. A magnitude 6.7 earthquake can cause serious damage, floods and tsunamis. The magnitudes gauge the energy coming from the source of the earthquake. Experts caution that after an earthquake, there still can be secondary shockwaves that occur days or even weeks after the initial major earthquake, and are powerful enough to cause building damage.