美国有线新闻 CNN 台湾花莲6.4级地震致8人死亡 救援工作紧张进行中（在线收听）

台湾花莲6.4级地震致8人死亡 救援工作紧张进行中

We're starting at an island that borders the East China Sea, where a magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck late on Tuesday. One city in Taiwan that was hit really hard was Hualien. It's on the northeast coast of the island, and it's where at least eight people were killed and 262 others were injured.

Many people are spending the night outside for fear their homes aren't safe to sleep in. Dozens of aftershocks have hit the area and an estimated 35,000 people have no running water. This isn't the deadliest earthquake to hit Taiwan. Forty people were killed in 2016 when a magnitude 6.4 quake struck the island and 2,400 people died in 1999 after a magnitude 7.3 tremor.

Taiwan is on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a horseshoe shaped area that runs around the edge of the Pacific Ocean. Earthquakes and volcanoes are common from Chile to Indonesia. Still, residents say their nerves are frayed. Dangerously tilting buildings have become symbols of how destructive earthquake can be. Taiwan's government says hundreds of military troops and firefighters are helping with the rescue effort.

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Dramatic scenes and devastation from Taiwan after a major earthquake overnight. Now, the 6.4 magnitude quake struck late on Tuesday night, just off the east coast of Taiwan, near Hualien county. Rescue crews are racing to save lives. In fact, 236 people have been rescued so far.

The president of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, took to Twitter earlier to thank first responder, saying this, quote: Thank you to our first responders for their tireless efforts in Hualien. Rescue operations have been continuing ni?ght and day. Right now, 145 people remain unaccounted for. We will not rest until all are found.

Now, again, that tweet was sent a few hours ago. The number of unaccounted for now stands at 85. Now, at least four buildings in the quake zone are tilting or already collapsed and we are keeping a close eye on the Marshal Hotel, the Beauty Inn and Yun Men Tsui Ti building all in downtown Hualien.

This is where rescue workers are scrambling to find any additional survivors. To save lives, rescue workers are racing against time. They're also racing against the danger of more aftershocks. In fact, a 5.4 magnitude aftershock hit near Hualien shortly after the larger quake.

Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Hong Kong.