TAIPEI -- Two more bodies were found in the ruins of a building in Taiwan's Hualien County Friday afternoon, taking the death toll of the recent magnitude-6.5 earthquake in the area to 12.
The bodies were identified as a Canadian couple, according to Taiwan's emergency operation center.
A family of five from Chinese mainland were still trapped in the rubble as of 4 p.m. Friday, after the earthquake late Tuesday night.
Rescuers are continuing their search, but facing great difficulties with very limited space to enter the site, according to Fu Kun-Chi, head of Hualien County.
"We will do our best to find the missing people within the 72-hour golden rescue period," said Fu.
The 12 victims of the earthquake include four from the Chinese mainland, five from Taiwan, one from the Philippines, and two from Canada. A total of 278 people were injured.
According to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC), the magnitude 6.5 earthquake jolted waters near Hualien at 11:50 p.m. Tuesday.
It was the most severe earthquake to hit Hualien in five decades, according to Fu. (Xinhua)
