A shallow, magnitude 6.4 earthquake that struck Taiwan's east coast late Tuesday night caused several buildings to cave in and tilt dangerously in the tourist hub of Hualien, leaving seven people dead, 256 injured and 88 unaccounted for. The force of the tremor buckled roads and disrupted electricity and water supplies to thousands of households. More than 100 tremors were felt with aftershocks continuing to hit after the quake. (AP Photo)
A shallow, magnitude 6.4 earthquake that struck Taiwan's east coast late Tuesday night caused several buildings to cave in and tilt dangerously in the tourist hub of Hualien, leaving seven people dead, 256 injured and 88 unaccounted for. The force of the tremor buckled roads and disrupted electricity and water supplies to thousands of households. More than 100 tremors were felt with aftershocks continuing to hit after the quake. (AP Photo)
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SEE PHOTOS | Taiwan's 6.4 earthquake leaves seven dead, 88 missing as buildings topple, remain tilted

A shallow, magnitude 6.4 earthquake that struck Taiwan's east coast late Tuesday night caused several buildings to cave in and tilt dangerously in the tourist hub of Hualien, leaving seven people dead, 256 injured and 88 unaccounted for. The force of the tremor buckled roads and disrupted electricity and water supplies to thousands of households. More than 100 tremors were felt with aftershocks continuing to hit after the quake.
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The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck just before midnight Tuesday about 21 kilometers (13 miles) northeast of Hualien at a relatively shallow depth of about 10.6 kilometers (6.6 miles). (AP Photo)
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck just before midnight Tuesday about 21 kilometers (13 miles) northeast of Hualien at a relatively shallow depth of about 10.6 kilometers (6.6 miles). (AP Photo)
With aftershocks continuing to hit after the quake, residents were directed to shelters, including a newly built baseball stadium, where beds and hot food were provided. (AP Photo)
With aftershocks continuing to hit after the quake, residents were directed to shelters, including a newly built baseball stadium, where beds and hot food were provided. (AP Photo)
Other buildings shifted on their foundations and rescuers used ladders, ropes and cranes to get residents to safety. (AP Photo)
Other buildings shifted on their foundations and rescuers used ladders, ropes and cranes to get residents to safety. (AP Photo)
Japan's Foreign Ministry said nine Japanese were among the injured. Six mainland Chinese were also injured, the Chinese Communist Party-run People's Daily reported. (AP Photo)
Japan's Foreign Ministry said nine Japanese were among the injured. Six mainland Chinese were also injured, the Chinese Communist Party-run People's Daily reported. (AP Photo)
'I saw the first floor sink into the ground. Then it sank and tilted further and the fourth floor became the first floor,' Lu Chih-son, 35, who saw 20 people rescued from the building, told AFP. (AP Photo)
'I saw the first floor sink into the ground. Then it sank and tilted further and the fourth floor became the first floor,' Lu Chih-son, 35, who saw 20 people rescued from the building, told AFP. (AP Photo)
Hualien is one of Taiwan's most popular tourist hubs as it lies on the picturesque east coast rail line and near to the popular Taroko Gorge. (AP Photo)
Hualien is one of Taiwan's most popular tourist hubs as it lies on the picturesque east coast rail line and near to the popular Taroko Gorge. (AP Photo)
Taiwan has frequent earthquakes due to its position along the 'Ring of Fire,' the seismic faults encircling the Pacific Ocean where most of the world's earthquakes occur. (AP Photo)
Taiwan has frequent earthquakes due to its position along the 'Ring of Fire,' the seismic faults encircling the Pacific Ocean where most of the world's earthquakes occur. (AP Photo)
This comes exactly two years since a quake of the same magnitude struck the southern Taiwanese city of Tainan, killing more than 100 people. The safety of the building was called into question immediately after the disaster, when metal cans and foam were found to have been used as fillers in the concrete and residents said there had been cracks in the structure. (AP Photo)
This comes exactly two years since a quake of the same magnitude struck the southern Taiwanese city of Tainan, killing more than 100 people. The safety of the building was called into question immediately after the disaster, when metal cans and foam were found to have been used as fillers in the concrete and residents said there had been cracks in the structure. (AP Photo)
Taiwan, which lies near the junction of two tectonic plates, saw its worst tremor in recent decades in 1999. A 7.6-magnitude quake in September that year killed around 2,400 people. (AP Photo)
Taiwan, which lies near the junction of two tectonic plates, saw its worst tremor in recent decades in 1999. A 7.6-magnitude quake in September that year killed around 2,400 people. (AP Photo)
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