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Death Toll in Taiwan Quake Rises to 113

The death toll in a powerful earthquake that struck Taiwan's oldest city of Tainan a week ago rose to 113 on Saturday with an estimated nine people missing.
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Rescuers have pulled out 113 dead a week since a powerful earthquake struck Taiwan's oldest city of Tainan, leaving only four missing in the rubble of a collapsed 17-story residential complex, authorities said Saturday.

Image: Over 100 still missing as death toll reaches 38 in Taiwan earthquake
The 17-storey apartment building was the only high-rise in Tainan to completely collapse.RITCHIE B. TONGO / EPA

All but two of the dead were found at the ruins of the collapsed Weiguan Golden Dragon residential complex, which toppled when the 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck last Saturday during the Lunar New Year holiday.

A total of 327 people in the building survived.

According to Taiwan's Interior Ministry, workers extracted scores more bodies on Friday and Saturday morning. Four are still listed as missing.

Authorities have detained the building's developer Lin Ming-hui and two architects this week on suspicion of negligent homicide amid accusations his firm cut corners in the construction.

Tainan city officials said they will inspect several dozen other developments built by Lin, as well as other buildings in the Weiguan compound that did not collapse.

Earthquakes frequently strike Taiwan, but usually cause little or no damage, particularly since more stringent building regulations were introduced following a magnitude-7.6 quake in 1999 that killed more than 2,300.