Strong earthquake hits southern Taiwan, trapping residents

Update: Feb. 14:

●Front pages of local newspapers Feb. 14:

Update: Feb. 13:●Tainan Mayor Lai Ching-te said in 4:20 p.m. briefing that rescue works were to cease as bodies of all people believed to be trapped in collapsed Weiguan Jinlong building have been recovered. Death toll stood at 116.

●Total fatalities of Feb. 6 earthquake: 116●Board members of fatal apartment builder to be detained: mayor●Remains of last unaccounted-for quake victim found●Post-quake reconstruction to begin with working meeting Sunday

●Front pages of local newspapers Feb. 13:

Feb. 12:●Science park in Tainan mostly unscathed after quake●Tainan water supply back to normal Friday evening: ministry●Tainan mayor thanks Pope for earthquake condolences●Ma, Tsai attend memorial ceremony for earthquake victims

●Front pages of local newspapers Feb. 12:

Feb. 11:●Taiwan thanks U.S. for earthquake donations●Developer of collapsed building owns at least 30 plots of land●Rain in Tainan as 62 unaccounted for after quake●President-elect prays for Taiwan after fatal earthquake

●Front pages of local newspapers Feb. 11:

Feb. 10:●UN secretary-general offers condolences to quake victims in Taiwan●Tainan identifies 50 buildings as dangerous after quake●Earthquake has caused NT$169 million agricultural losses●94 remain missing in Tainan quake rubble, including 21 children

[Photo courtesy of the Taoyuan City Fire Department]]

●Altered structure may have caused Tainan building disaster: victim●Each quake victim's family to get NT$1 million: premier●Ma thanks soldiers assisting in earthquake relief work

●South Korea pledges donation for Taiwan quake relief efforts●Flags to fly at half-mast to mourn quake victims●Developers of collapsed building detained

●Front pages of local newspapers Feb. 10:

Feb. 9:●More condolences pour in over Tainan earthquake

●Political unity shown in support for rescue efforts in Tainan●Taiwan thanks China for donation, offer for help

●Front pages of local newspapers Feb. 9:

Feb. 8:●68 aftershocks recorded after major earthquake●8-year-old girl, Vietnamese woman rescued from debris 60 hours after quake

[Heavy machinery is deployed to digging through the rubble Monday]

●President Ma pledges sustained support for earthquake rescue●Taiwan thanks Japan, U.S. for earthquake donations●Trapped man rescued 56 hours after building collapse

[In the early hours of Monday]

●Building check, urban renewal to be new government's priority: Tsai●President-elect Tsai Ing-wen visits quake-struck Tainan●Rescuers pull out another survivor from quake rubble in Tainan

●Front pages of local newspapers Feb. 8:

Feb. 7:[Firemen in Tainan have makeshift Lunar New Year's Eve meal by the site of a collapsed building.]

●Earthquake damage can be prevented: president●Rescuers free lucky few from earthquake rubble

●Video report:

●Taiwan's high-speed rail resumes normal operations after earthquake●'Site effect' played major role in quake's destructive power: experts

●Oil cans may not be at fault in Tainan building collapse: engineer●Japan, China send teams to join Taiwan's quake rescue efforts●U.S. State Department, lawmakers send condolences over Taiwan quake

●Front pages of local newspapers Feb. 7:

●Rescuers begin digging into collapsed building early Sunday

●Madonna sends condolences to those affected by Taiwan quake

Feb. 6:●14 killed, 484 injured, 153 unaccounted for after quake●Quake death toll climbs to 14; rescue work continues in Tainan

[Saturday evening]

●Donations flow in from NGOs, business sector for quake relief●Japan sends evaluation team to Taiwan in wake of earthquake●China's Red Cross pledges 2m yuan to Taiwan's quake relief efforts

[Saturday evening]

●Donations pour in from celebrities after southern Taiwan quake●Taipei 101 to light up in tribute to quake victims●KMT's Chu, DPP pledge donations for quake relief

●TSMC rushing to restore full production in Tainan after quake●Japan offers assistance in wake of deadly Taiwan quake●1999 quake survivor rescued from toppled building in Taiwan temblor

[A man tries to reach people trapped in the collapsed building through mobile phone]

●Facebook activates Safety Check for people in Taiwan quake●AIT voices concern over Tainan quake●President-elect, political parties donate to quake relief

●Investigation into deadly building collapse to be launched●China's TAO offers to help with Taiwan's quake relief efforts●No major industrial damage in southern Taiwan earthquake

●Yulon Group donates NT$10 million to help Tainan quake victims●Earthquake paralyzes high-speed rail in southern Taiwan●Military, rescuers respond to quake disaster in southern Taiwan

●President wants all-out efforts in earthquake rescue●More than 120 rescued in toppled building in Tainan

Taipei, Feb. 6 (CNA) A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck southern Taiwan at 03:57 a.m. Saturday, toppling multiple buildings in Tainan City, including a 16-story residential building with possibly hundreds of people trapped inside, authorities and witnesses said.

Police and emergency workers were fighting to rescue people from some households in the building, most of which was left lying on its side after the earthquake, in Yongkang District in southern Tainan.

Many residents in central and southern Taiwan said they felt tremors reminiscent of the magnitude 7.3 earthquake in 1999, which left more than 2,400 people dead.

The earthquake's epicenter was located in Meinong District, Kaohsiung City, at a depth of 17 kilometers, according to the Central Weather Bureau.

The strongest tremors, which had an intensity reading of 6 on a 0-7 seismic scale, were felt in Yunlin County, the bureau said.

Kaohsiung, Pingtung, Tainan and Chiayi had an intensity of 5 while Taitung, Penghu, Changhua, Nantou and Taichung had 4.

Strong aftershocks, which were centered in Tainan, were felt minutes after the initial tremor.

There were reports of people being injured after being hit by fallen debris. One man in Yunlin reportedly broke his foot when trying to jump to safety from a second-floor window.

Collapsed buildings reported in Tainan.