Quake Levels Buildings in Taiwan, At Least 2 Dead

A 6.4-magnitude earthquake leveled multiple buildings in Taiwan, killing at least two people, CNN reports. According to the AP, the quake hit around 4am local time on Saturday in southern Taiwan. The confirmed casualties are a 10-day-old girl and a 40-year-old man, both in the city of Tainan. More than 220 people have been rescued in Tainan, and 115 people have been hospitalized. At least four buildings collapsed in Taiwan's oldest city, which has a population of 2 million, the BBC reports. One of collapsed buildings was a 17-story apartment building, according to Reuters. An estimated 240 people lived in the building.

More than 100 rescuers were on the scene of the collapsed apartment building. They were using ladders, cranes, and cherry-pickers to pull people to safety. The earthquake occurred only 6 miles below the surface. Taiwan's capital of Taipei on the far side of the island didn't suffer any obvious damage. More than 2,300 people were killed when a 7.6-magnitude earthquake hit the country in 1999. (More earthquake stories.)