Rescue workers use a stretcher to take a victim to an ambulance at the site of a collapsed building in Tainan, Taiwan, on Feb. 7, 2016. (Photo : Getty Images)
At least four people have been rescued in Taiwan after a strong earthquake shook the southern part of the island on Saturday.
Two of the survivors, a 28-year old Vietnamese woman and her 8-year-old niece, were pulled out from the fifth floor of the collapsed Wei Guan building in Tainan City, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Monday.
The woman surnamed Chen suffered only minor injuries and was immediately sent to the hospital, said Xinhua.
Earlier in the day, a man named Li Tsung-tian was rescued after being trapped for around 56 hours, while another woman was saved on the seventh floor of the building.
The 6.7 magnitude earthquake, which struck southern Taiwan two days ahead of the Lunar New Year, has killed at least 44 people as of Wednesday, according to official reports. Most of the casualties were found at the collapsed 16-story Wei Guan residential complex, where 100 people are still believed to be trapped under the debris.
Rescue personnel are still combing through the wreckage for survivors and have been able to able confirm signs of life at the top floor of the building and will begin rescue operations, said Xinhua.
"It was a day of vain attempts," said one rescuer, who had been at the site since Saturday morning. He said previous search attempts have been painstakingly slow to avoid causing additional damage to possible survivors.
Heavy machinery have also been deployed to help in the rescue efforts since Monday evening.
A temporary media center has been set up at a furniture store near the toppled building, where dozens of relatives of the missing are waiting to get more news about their family members.
Taiwan is frequently shaken by earthquakes, although most cause little or no damage. In 1999, a 7.3 magnitude quake, the strongest to hit Taiwan for 100 years, rocked the island and left more than 2,000 people dead.
