Last Updated Feb 6, 2018 5:19 PM EST
BEIJING — At least two people were killed and more than 200 others injured after a magnitude-6.4 earthquake struck late Tuesday near the coast of Taiwan, authorities said. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck late Tuesday about 21 kilometers, about 13 miles, northeast of Hualien, on the island’s east coast. It occurred at a depth of about 9.5 kilometers, about 6 miles.
The ground floor of the Marshal Hotel in Hualien county caved in, causing the death of one employee. Another person died in a residential building, the national fire and rescue service reported.
Other buildings shifted on their foundations and rescuers used ladders, ropes and cranes to get residents to safety.
Taiwanese media reported that a separate hotel known as the Beautiful Life Hotel was tilting. The agency also posted photos showing a road fractured in several parts.
“We know there are people who are trapped inside — we can see lights inside the hotel,” witness Zeena Starbuck told BBC News. “People with phones are shining their lights to let people know they’re there.”
Bridges and some highways were closed pending inspections after buckling due to the force of the quake.
Rescue workers search through rubble outside the Marshal Hotel in Hualien, eastern Taiwan early February 7, 2018, after a strong earthquake struck the island. A hotel on the east coast of Taiwan has collapsed after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake, the government said.
STR/AFP/Getty
With aftershocks continuing, shell-shocked residents were being directed to shelters, including a newly built baseball stadium, where beds and hot food were provided.
Speaking from a crisis center in Taipei, Cabinet spokesman Hsu Kuo-yung said rail links appeared to be unaffected and the runway of Hualien airport was intact.
“We’re putting a priority on Hualien people being able to return home to check on their loved ones,” Hsu said.
A police officer stands guard outside a damaged building after an earthquake hit Hualien, Taiwan February 7, 2018.
Tyrone Siu / REUTERS
The earthquake followed one over the weekend off the coast of Hualien, which lies along the famed “Pacific Rim of Fire” known for seismic activity from Alaska to Southeast Asia.
The quake came exactly two years after a magnitude-6.4 quake struck southern Taiwan, causing the collapse of an apartment complex and the deaths of 115 people.
Five people involved in the construction of the complex were later found guilty of negligence and given prison sentences.
A magnitude-7.6 quake in central Taiwan killed more than 2,300 people in 1999.
Two guests are escorted by rescue workers from the damaged Marshal Hotel in Hualien, eastern Taiwan early February 7, 2018, after a strong earthquake struck the island.
YANG JEN-FU/AFP/Getty
© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
