Taiwan quake toll at 17 as rescuers call off search for victims

Excavators brought in to recover bodies of last two victims

South China Morning Post 
Date: 11 February, 2018
By: Agence France-Presse 

Thousands of emergency workers had combed through rubble at the foot of the 12-storey Yun Men Tsui Ti apartment block since the quake struck the eastern county of Hualien late on Tuesday.

It was left leaning at around a 50-degree angle by the quake, complicating rescue efforts due to fears of an imminent collapse.

Hualien county chief Fu Kun-chi said the last two victims were pinned under heavy pillars that could not be removed without risking a total collapse of the building, and the rescue was called off with the consent of their relatives.    [FULL  STORY]