As a result of the strongest in the last 25 Nine people have been killed since Wednesday's earthquake in Taiwan.
More than 800 more were injured and 50 went missing on their way to a national park, authorities said.
TV footage showed buildings are shown tilting at dangerous angles in the mountains in the mountainous and sparsely populated Hualien county in the east of the island, near the epicenter of the magnitude 7.2 earthquake, Reuters reported.
The quake struck at a depth of 15.5 kilometers around 8 a.m. as people walked to work and school, prompting a tsunami warning for southern Japan and the Philippines that was later canceled.
In the video, rescuers can be seen using ladders to help people escape through windows. Meanwhile, there were large landslides elsewhere, and strong tremors in Taipei caused the subway to close briefly, although most lines resumed service.
However, rescuers said they had lost contact with 50 travelers who were on the four minibuses were heading to a hotel in the Taroko Gorge National Park.
According to authorities, 821 people were injured as a result of the earthquake.
Prepared by: Sergei Daga