Taiwan earthquake: Rescuers race against time to find people trapped as more than 153 people confirmed missing

A massive rescue operation is continuing to try to find people trapped after a powerful earthquake struck southern Taiwan killing at least 14 people. Taiwanese authorities said more than 153 people were still missing after the 6.4 magnitude quake struck early on 6 February.

Efforts centred on the 17-storey Golden Dragon building in Tainan city which collapsed on its side killing 11 people, including a 10-day-old baby. Rescuers were searching for up to 30 people still thought to be under the rubble. It was one of nine high-rise blocks in the city that were severely damaged.

The Taiwanese army and fire fighters used ladders and cranes to reach the building. Specialist search dogs were also used. Rescuer Jian Zhengshun said the rescue work was difficult because part of the high-rise building was believed to be buried underground, with the quake loosening the earth. He said rescuers had to clear rubble to create passages to reach people who were trapped.

The quake came two days before the start of Lunar New Year celebrations that mark the most important family holiday in the Chinese calendar. The collapsed building had 256 registered residents, but far more people could have been inside because families typically host guests for the holiday. Local media said the building included a care centre for mothers and babies.

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Taiwan’s emergency management information centre said more than 470 people were injured; around 380 had been discharged from hospitals by late on 6 February. By nightfall they said more than 330 people had been rescued from buildings in Tainan.

President Ma Ying-jeou visited a hospital and the emergency response centre in Tainan before rushing back to the capital, Taipei, to attend a briefing on the situation.

Lisa Hsu, of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in Tainan, said: “It’s a tall building and it totally collapsed. It’s lying on the ground in front of us. The weather is cold but the rescue work is still going on.” She said the IFRC had been providing hot meals and blankets throughout the day. The Taiwanese government set up seven temporary shelters for people left homeless. “I hope that the death toll will not go higher. I think there is still hope, the rescue teams have identified some sites where they think there is still life,” she said.

Ms Hsu said traffic and train lines had been affected – many people had been travelling across the island for the start of the holiday. Electricity to more than 120,000 households had been disrupted and five other buildings were leaning dangerously.

The quake ran six miles into the ground according to the US Geological Survey, which said its shallowness intensified the destruction. The fate of the buildings has raised alarms over construction standards, and interior minister Chen Wei-zen said the Golden Dragon building, built in 1989, would be investigated. The task is likely to be overseen by Taiwan’s first female president, Tsai Ing-wen, after her May inauguration.