Taiwan rescue teams find more victims after earthquake

Two more bodies were discovered on Friday in Taiwan after the deadly earthquake, as the government intensified search and rescue efforts before the critical 72-hour period to find survivors expired.

The powerful earthquake, of magnitude 7.2 according to Taiwanese authorities and 7.7 according to the Japanese meteorological agency, shook the autonomous island on Wednesday, leaving some 1,100 injured and more than 600 people stranded in remote areas.

The two bodies found Friday will not be included in the official death toll, which currently stands at 10, until their identities are confirmed, according to authorities.

After the disaster, authorities have rushed to restore roads to rescue stranded people.

The number of injured in the Taiwan earthquake reaches 1,100, with 15 missing and 10 dead

In a mountainous region of Hualien County, 10 people remained unaccounted for, while 82 people, including some with health problems, were airlifted by helicopter, according to authorities.

Many of the evacuees were Taiwanese, while others were Japanese, American, Hong Kong, Malaysian and Singaporean citizens, according to data from Taiwan rescue authorities.

Two Japanese women, a mother in her 60s and her daughter in her 40s, were rescued from a mountainside hotel in Taroko National Park in the county, the press was told.

The powerful earthquake, of magnitude 7.2 according to Taiwanese authorities and 7.7 according to the Japanese meteorological agency, shook the autonomous island on Wednesday

The two, who were not injured, were traveling to Taiwan from their home in New Zealand.
The authorities continued to distribute food and water, as well as other items necessary for survival, by helicopter to the hundreds of people who were stranded in the Taroko hotel and to the students and teachers of a boarding school.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said Friday in Tokyo that Japan will provide $1 million in aid to Taiwan for disaster relief and recovery efforts through the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association.

In the city of Hualien, workers began demolishing a residential building that tilted precariously due to the earthquake. Taiwanese prosecutors are investigating whether faulty construction was a contributing factor.