Taiwan earthquake search and rescue efforts continue with dozens still listed missing and 10 confirmed dead
Emergency workers were searching Thursday for dozens of people still missing after Taiwan was hit by its strongest earthquake in decades. At least 10 people have been confirmed killed by the 7.4 magnitude temblor that struck as people headed to work on Wednesday.
Serious damage has been reported all around the island, and intense rescue efforts were still underway to find those missing.
Dashcam video captured the harrowing moments when boulders came crashing down a steep mountainside onto a highway, plowing into one car and prompting other drivers to beat a hasty retreat from the area.
More than 1,000 people were injured by the quake and, as of Thursday, more than 100 were still listed as missing across the mountainous island.
In one remote valley, a drone spotted a group of miners who were left stranded on a cliff when the quake sparked landslides that wiped out all the roads.
CBS News partner network BBC News was at the epicenter of the quake zone, where locals told correspondent Rupert Wingfield-Hayes they were worried an aftershock could completely topple one building left leaning at about a 45-degree angle by the temblor.
Workers were busy trying to reinforce the base to stabilize it even as rescuers carefully searched the building for any survivors.
The earthquake struck right as children were starting their school day, including American Kevin Geiger's 8-year-old daughter.
"The teachers said, 'go under the table, under the table!'" Claire said of her dramatic morning.
"I was really happy that she was being calm and, not to freak out," her father said.
Taiwan was still feeling aftershocks on Thursday, but Claire told CBS News she wasn't scared, because her school taught her what to do.
- In:
- Taiwan
- Rescue
- China
- Asia
- Disaster
- Earthquake
Ian Lee is a CBS News correspondent based in London, where he reports for CBS News, CBS Newspath and CBS News Streaming Network. Lee, who joined CBS News in March 2019, is a multi-award-winning journalist, whose work covering major international stories has earned him some of journalism's top honors, including an Emmy, Peabody and the Investigative Reporters and Editors' Tom Renner award.
Twitter Instagram
