Rescuers searched through the night Saturday hoping to free residents trapped in buildings toppled by a deadly earthquake in Taiwan, as survivors recalled being plucked to safety from their ruined homes.
More than 250 people have been rescued from the Wei-kuan apartment complex in the southern city of Tainan since the quake hit at 4am Saturday, killing 14 people and toppling four blocks of around 100 homes in total.
Over 150 people remain out of contact with their families in Tainan and surrounding counties, with at least 20 feared still trapped in the rubble of the apartment buildings.
Those who escaped told of their terror and relief.
[PHOTOS]: The quake that shook Taiwan
"(When the quake hit) I slid down from my bed and was trapped between the bed and a closet," resident Su Yi-ming, 48, told AFP.
"I knocked on the closet to get the attention of rescuers who broke the window to get me at around 5:00 am. I think I was the first to be rescued," he said.
"My mind went blank when the quake struck, it shook violently and the house just came down. I couldn't react."
Su escaped uninjured, with his wife and their two children sustaining minor injuries.
READ: No Malaysians involved in Taiwan earthquake - Wisma Putra
READ: Seven dead after powerful Taiwan quake fells buildings
READ: Three Indonesians die in Taiwan's earthquake
READ: Fourteen dead after powerful Taiwan quake fells buildings
They lived on the sixth floor of one of the collapsed blocks.
"We are very lucky that we are alive but I'm sad that some of my neighbours lost their lives. When I was brought out I saw many rescuers trying to find people," Su said.
Wang Chih-peng, 38, was rescued with his wife and three-year-old daughter.
"I was scared awake by the quake and I held my wife and child until it stopped shaking," Wang told AFP.
"We lay on our bed waiting for rescuers because we thought it safer. I heard the sound of rescuers approaching and screamed for help and they removed the window to pull us out. I saw the building had tumbled and luckily we were safe."
Rescuers were still freeing survivors Saturday night.
Footage released by emergency workers showed rescuers talking to one trapped 36-year-old woman through the rubble, where she had been pinned down by furniture for 16 hours, before digging her out.
Another woman was extracted alive from the ruins by crane late Saturday.
AFP
Sun Feb 07 2016
A man is rescued from a collapsed building in Tainan, Taiwan, Saturday. A 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck southern Taiwan early Saturday, toppling at least one high-rise residential building and trapping people inside. - AP Photo/Wally Santana
Dipaksa bersalin normal, kepala bayi songsang terputus
Bahagian kemaluannya juga terkoyak teruk dan dijahit sebarangan oleh staf Rumah Sakit Banjarmasin.
AWANI Ringkas: Tangani isu ketidaksamaan & marginalisasi
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
AWANI Pagi: Twincity Marathon rai golongan kelainan upaya (OKU)
Perbezaan fizikal tidak melunturkan semangat golongan kelainan upaya (OKU) untuk menyertai acara larian Twincity Marathon anjuran Ten Senses di Cyberjaya pada Ahad.
Menurut Ketua Penasihat Ten Senses Sdn Bhd, Datuk Najib Ibrahim, komuniti itu juga merupakan sebahagian dari masyarakat dan semangat mereka boleh dijadikan teladan kepada masyarakat.
Menurut Ketua Penasihat Ten Senses Sdn Bhd, Datuk Najib Ibrahim, komuniti itu juga merupakan sebahagian dari masyarakat dan semangat mereka boleh dijadikan teladan kepada masyarakat.
Kanak-kanak Malaysia tidak cukup belajar di sekolah - Laporan Bank Dunia
Hanya 58 peratus pelajar di Malaysia didapati mahir membaca menjelang akhir Darjah 5.
Protes di universiti AS tidak tunjuk tanda perlahan
Dalam dua minggu lalu, protes pro-Palestin telah merebak ke kampus kolej utama di seluruh AS.
37 juta tan serpihan runtuhan di Gaza - UNMAS
Terdapat juga sejumlah besar senjata api yang tidak meletup tertimbus di dalam runtuhan yang menimbulkan risiko kepada kerja pembersihan.
Legenda EPL puji padang SNBJ
Pemain Manchester Reds dan Liverpool Reds memuji keadaan rumput yang cantik dan bersedia untuk kembali beraksi pada masa akan datang.
Mesyuarat Khas WEF: Dunia saling tidak percaya akibat kebergantungan dipersenjatakan - Naib Presiden Suruhanjaya Eropah
Fenomena hilang kepercayaan yang melanda komuniti antarabangsa ketika ini adalah akibat kebergantungan yang dipersenjatakan oleh beberapa pihak.
Che'gu Bard tiba di mahkamah bagi hadapi pertuduhan kes fitnah, hasut
Badrul Hisham, yang memakai baju Melayu berwarna hijau, dibawa oleh pihak polis ke mahkamah dalam keadaan bergari.
WCK sambung misi bantuan di Gaza
Operasi itu disambung sebulan selepas tujuh pekerja badan amal itu terbunuh dalam serangan udara Israel.