Deadly earthquake rattles east coast of Taiwan

An earthquake in Taiwan killed at least two people, injured dozens and left an entire hotel tilting over a street in the city of Hualien.

The 6.4-magnitude quake struck on the island’s east coast just before midnight local time Tuesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

It cracked road pavement like thin ice and caved in the lobby of the four-star Marshal Hotel, according to the New Zealand Herald, trapping people inside.

Another hotel, identified as the Beautiful Life, was left listing like a half-fallen tree. Rescuers gathered around the building and shone flashlights into the overhanging windows. Taiwanese officials sent updates on casualties throughout the night: at least two dead and more than 200 injured, according to the Associated Press.

“We can see lights inside the hotel,” a witness told BBC News.

Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen, tweeted that the armed forces and government agencies were responding. “Stay safe,” she said.

The quake followed days of smaller ones throughout the island, according to the BBC, and struck exactly two years after a quake of nearly the same magnitude hit the island and killed more than 100 people.

At least seven buildings partially collapsed, and the city’s hospital was damaged, according to the New York Times. But the worst of the damage seemed contained to the city of 110,000 people.

In the capital of Taipei, on the island’s north side, children slept through the quake, CNN reported.