The greatest earthquake to strike Taiwan in 25 years, measuring 7.2, shook the island nation on Wednesday, leaving at least seven dead and over 700 injured.
In the mountainous, thinly populated eastern county of Hualien, close to the epicentre, four people perished, according to the Taiwanese authorities.
The Hualien fire department reported that 77 individuals were still trapped, some of them in collapsed structures. More than 100 buildings were reported to have sustained damage.
When the earthquake struck near Hualien, just offshore, at around 8 a.m. (0000GMT), as people were heading to work and school, images from Taiwan television stations showed structures at dangerous angles.
