Taipei rejects Beijing’s offer of help with earthquake rescue mission - just before second quake
Taiwan said it has the resources to cope with the search for 67 missing people - but that was before a second quake hit the same area on Wednesday
Taiwan turned down an offer from Beijing on Wednesday to send a rescue team to the island after a powerful earthquake hit the coastal city of Hualien on Tuesday, killing at least seven people and injuring 257 others.
The magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck 21km (13 miles) northeast of the popular tourist city just before midnight. Rescuers were still searching for 67 missing people on Wednesday evening as aftershocks continued to hit the area. Four buildings collapsed in the quake, trapping dozens of people, the Central Emergency Operation Centre said, and roads and bridges were damaged.
The second quake struck at the same point as the first, at a depth of 11km (6.8 miles), according to the US Geological Survey.
The Mainland Affairs Council told the South China Morning Post it appreciated the offer of help – seen as an olive branch from Beijing at a tense time for cross-strait relations – but it had enough manpower and resources.