At least 7 dead, more than 60 missing after major Taiwan quake

Feb. 7 (UPI) -- At least seven people have been killed and over 260 injured by the magnitude-6.4 earthquake that hit Taiwan, officials said Wednesday.

Tuesday's quake had a epicenter located in Hualien County and struck at a shallow depth of 6.2 miles. After the main quake, a level 7 intensity was felt in Hualien County for 70 seconds -- causing multiple buildings to collapse and trapping people under rubble.

The number of missing continues to drop as rescue work resumed and survivors are pulled from rubble and damaged buildings. The Hualien Emergency Operations Center said late Wednesday that seven people were confirmed dead, with 262 injured and 63 still missing.

Dozens of aftershocks were reported after the quake Tuesday, as more than 600 military members and 750 firefighters helped to clear damage.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen thanked first responders on Twitter on Tuesday for their "tireless efforts" working day and night to find survivors.

Videos and images from the site of the earthquake show collapsed and tilted buildings. Emergency workers used beams to help prop up the Yun Men Tsui Ti building, a large residential and commercial complex.

Sixteen people are believed to still be trapped in a Bed and Breakfast called the Beauty Inn in the Yun Men Tsui Ti building. Another building, the Marshal Hotel, was flattened in the quake.

Taiwan, located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, routinely experiences relatively minor earthquakes. The country and its populous capital have, however, experienced larger quakes in the past. A 7.6-magnitude earthquake hit Taiwan in 1999 and killed more than 2,500 people.