Hualien quake death toll rises to 13

Taipei, April 6 (CNA) The number of people confirmed dead in the Hualien earthquake has risen to 13 following the discovery of three more bodies, the Central Emergency Operation Center said Saturday.

The three deceased individuals were among the six reported missing on the Shakandang Trail in Taroko National Park.

One was identified as a 21-year-old woman surnamed Hu (胡), who traveled to Hualien alone.

The rescue team found Hu's body at the 0.5-kilometer mark on the trail after 11 a.m. on Saturday and confirmed her identity through the ID card she was carrying.

This defied an earlier belief that the body could be that of another woman, who, along with her husband, surnamed Yu (游), and three children, was on the trail at the time of the quake.

The rescue team found two additional bodies on the trail Friday, which Yu's mother identified as her son and 11-year-old granddaughter, however, these identifications have not been formally confirmed.

Yu's wife, 8-year-old son, and 5-year-old daughter could be buried more than 25 meters below the trail, the rescue team said, adding that aftershocks and inclement weather have posed challenges to their rescue mission.

As of 10 a.m., 74 hours after the major earthquake, the Central Weather Administration has recorded 603 aftershocks, including 23 measuring magnitude 5 or more.

The aftershocks have loosened the earth, causing rocks to continue falling intermittently and making it difficult for the team to deploy heavy machinery for excavation.

Based on the data released by the operation center, as of 2 p.m., 13 people have died, 1,145 have been injured, 442 are trapped or stranded, and six remain missing.