Story highlights
At least 108 people killed when a high-rise tower in Tainan collapsed, authorities said
An additional 550 people are injured
The number of people killed by the magnitude-6.4 earthquake that struck southern Taiwan has risen to 108, the Tainan City Disaster Response Center reported Friday.
At least eight people are still trapped in the rubble of the Weiguan Golden Dragon high-rise tower in Tainan, the response center said.
The National Fire Center had previously said at least 30 people were unaccounted for and believed trapped under the rubble.
One-hundred-six people died when the building collapsed, the response center said.
An additional 550 people were wounded when the quake struck Saturday morning, the country’s National Fire Agency said Friday.
Aerial images in the immediate aftermath of the temblor showed the Weiguan Golden Dragon tower transformed into rubble. Structures around it remained intact.
“There are so many other older buildings in Tainan that are still standing. Why was it only this building that was completely destroyed?” asked Wang Xingyou, a city cab driver.
Three people, all former executives of the company that built the collapsed apartment building, were arrested Tuesday and face charges of professional negligence resulting in death.
CNN’s Serenitie Wangm Sophia Yan in Tainan and Vivian Kam in Hong Kong contributed to this report.