Taiwan earthquake: Eight-year-old rescued after 60 hours

An eight-year-old girl has been pulled alive from the rubble of a building in Taiwan more than 60 hours after it was destroyed by an earthquake.

Rescuers in Tainan City freed three others on Monday, including the girl's aunt, as they raced to find more than 100 residents buried in the ruins.

At least 38 people died in the magnitude 6.4 earthquake on Saturday.

One of those rescued was a woman found lying underneath her husband's body. Their infant son was found dead nearby.

The woman, Tsao Wei-ling, was conscious and was taken to hospital.

Rescuers said it appeared her husband's body had protected her from a falling beam. Five of the couple's family members remain missing, Taiwan's government-run Central News Agency reported.

A man rescued on Monday had been talking to rescuers throughout the night. He was pulled free just before midday local time.

Officials said late on Sunday that 310 people had been rescued from the rubble of the building, with 100 of them taken to hospital.

A six-month-old baby girl pulled alive from the rubble died a few hours later in hospital.

The 17 storeys of the Weiguan Jinlong (Golden Dragon) apartment complex crumpled as the quake struck just before 04:00 local time on Saturday (20:00 GMT Friday), as Taiwan was beginning the lunar new year holiday

An investigation has been launched into whether the construction of the building contributed to its collapse.

Tainan City Mayor William Lai said survivors had reported legal "violations" in its construction but gave no further details.

Mr Lai said he had contacted judicial units and that prosecutors had formally launched an investigation into the construction of the apartment building.

"We've also commissioned three independent bodies to preserve evidence during the rescue so we can assist the residents if they want to file lawsuits in the future," he said.

"We will hold the builder responsible if they have broken the law."

Hundreds of soldiers are involved in the rescue effort, with the help of high-tech equipment, sniffer dogs and cranes. Shelters are being set up for those who have lost their homes in the city of two million people.

President Ma Ying-jeou and President-elect Tsai Ing-wen, who won the election last month, attended a mass funeral for victims on Monday afternoon.

Ms Tsai said her government, which will be sworn in in May, will prioritise safety checks on old buildings.

Emergency officials said on Monday that at least 527 people had been injured.

Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and often sees tremors.

The quake was shallow, meaning its effects would have been amplified, the US Geological Survey said.

There were also at least five aftershocks. The quake was felt in the capital Taipei, 300km (186 miles) away.

Are you in Taiwan? Are you affected by the issues raised in this story? If it is safe for you to get in touch, please email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your experiences.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: