Mainland ready to help after Taiwan quake kills 9, injures 265

Nine people were killed, 265 injured and 62 still missing as of 7:00 a.m. Thursday after a magnitude 6.5 earthquake hit Taiwan's Hualien County. 

A building is tilted in quake-hit Hualien County, southeast China's Taiwan, Feb. 7, 2018. [Photo: Xinhua]

The victims include three tourists from the mainland. Two of them were found in the damaged Yun Men Tusi Ti building in the early hours of Thursday morning.

A female tourist from Fujian Province was rescued from the same building Wednesday, but was declared dead at 9:00 p.m. Wednesday after treatment failed. 

According to the China Earthquake Networks Center, the earthquake jolted waters near Hualien County at 11:50 p.m. Tuesday. 

Local authorities say it was the strongest earthquake in the area in five decades.

Mainland authorities say they are willing to provide assistance to help deal with the aftermath of the disaster.

Rescuers work in front of a collapsed building in quake-hit Hualien County, southeast China's Taiwan, Feb. 7, 2018. [Photo: Xinhua]

The Red Cross Society of China has decided to provide one million yuan for rescue operations, and said it is also ready to send teams to the island.

Meanwhile, the same county has been struck by a second earthquake with a magnitude of 5.7. That one happened on Wednesday evening.

No additional casualties have been reported.