Signs of life in Tawiwan earthquake ruins

TAINAN, Taiwan - Rescuers on Sunday found signs of life within the remains of a high-rise residential building that collapsed in a powerful, shallow earthquake in southern Taiwan that killed at least 19 people and injured hundreds.

The emergency center in Tainan, the worst-hit city, estimated that 132 people were still missing more than 24 hours after the magnitude-6.4 quake struck at dawn Saturday.

Tainan Mayor Lai Ching-te said in TV interviews from the site of the building collapse that detecting equipment had found signs of life from at least 29 trapped people.

All told, nine buildings collapsed and five careened in Tainan, the emergency management information center said.

More than 340 people had already been rescued from the rubble in Tainan. About 2,000 firefighters and soldiers scrambled with ladders, cranes and other equipment to the ruins of the 17-floor residential building, which folded like an accordion onto its side after the quake struck.

Taiwan's Central News Agency reported that 484 people had been injured, although most of them had been released from hospitals by Saturday night.

The operators of Taiwan's high speed rail announced Sunday that the service would resume full operation from noon. The earthquake had damaged power lines near Tainan Station and caused major disruption to the system at a busy time when many people are returning home to celebrate Chinese New Year.

By late Saturday, some tracks had been repaired and trains were able to travel as far south as Chiayi, with shuttle buses available to those traveling on to Tainan.

The quake was felt as a lengthy, rolling shake in the capital, Taipei, on the other side of the island. But Taipei was quiet, with no sense of emergency or obvious damage just before dawn.

On Saturday night, the pop singer Madonna performed before thousands of fans at Taipei Arena, offering her condolences to those affected by the quake, CNA reported.

Residents in mainland China also reported that the tremor was felt there. The Beijing government offered to help as needed.

Because of the collapse of the residential high-rise, questions surfaced about whether the 1989 structure had shoddy construction. Tainan's government said the building was not listed as a dangerous structure before the quake, and Taiwan's interior minister, Chen Wei-zen, said an investigation would examine whether the developer had cut corners during construction.

Earthquakes frequently rattle Taiwan, but most are minor and cause little or no damage. However, a magnitude-7.6 quake in central Taiwan in 1999 killed more than 2,300 people.