Taiwan earthquake: Death toll climbs to 10

Search and rescue efforts are continuing in Taiwan following Wednesday's deadly earthquake. Authorities now say 10 people have been confirmed dead. More than 1,000 were injured and 15 are unaccounted for.

NHK visited Heping Village in hard-hit Hualien County, close to the epicenter. Residents said they spent the night worrying about more possible tremors.

Drinking water and bread have been delivered to the village. They were brought in by train because a road leading to its center has collapsed.

The village's mayor said, "The villagers are especially concerned about places in the road where rocks fell down."

More than 100 people are staying in an evacuation center in Hualien City.

A woman said, "The inside of the house is a mess. I am worried because earthquakes have occurred many times."

A University of Tokyo professor analyzed the damage using satellite images. Mountain terrain affected by the quake is exposed in many places. He says it appears there have been multiple large-scale landslides.

Another geology expert points out that destruction around the fault was irregular.

He says the pattern of destruction at various locations around the epicenter was different as the quake progressed. He explained that the normal distribution would be for damage to spread outward from the epicenter.