Four other buildings in port city of Hualien, including two more hotels and a military hospital, also tilted during the quake
BRITISH tourists have been among those caught up in a 6.4-magnitude earthquake which killed four people and injured more than 200.
A hotel collapsed after the quake hit at 11.50pm local time about 13 miles northeast of the port city Hualien, according to the United States Geological Survey.
Rescuers combed through the rubble of collapsed buildings to search for dozens of missing people as around 85 are believed to be unaccounted for.
More than 200 people are confirmed to have been injured and several buildings have been left tilting precariously.
An employee at the Marshal Hotel was killed after the ground floor caved in and other hotel staff are believed to be among the dead.
Associated Press reported three British tourists were among those to have been rescued from damaged buildings.
Chen Tzai-Tung, a worker with the government disaster centre, said at least one building is still too unsafe to search, adding: "It's still in the process of tilting, so it would be dangerous to go in there. They're scrambling for time."
Photographs show tilting and collapsed high-rise buildings, scattered debris and extensive damage to roads in the area.
The lower basement and ground floor of the 10-storey Marshal Hotel have given way. At least three members of staff are thought to be stuck inside, state media says.
"We know there are people who are trapped inside - we can see lights inside the hotel," eyewitness Zeena "People with phones are shining their lights to let people know they're there."
At least 28 people have been rescued so far from collapsed buildings revealed the Hualien fire department.
With aftershocks continuing through the night, residents were being directed to shelters, including a newly built baseball stadium, where beds and hot food were provided.
Speaking from a crisis center in Taipei, Cabinet spokesman Hsu Kuo-yung said rail links appeared to be unaffected and the runway of Hualien airport was intact.
Hualien is a popular tourist destination on Taiwan's eastern coast and home to about 100,000 people.
"The president has asked the cabinet and related ministries to immediately launch the 'disaster mechanism' and to work at the fastest rate on disaster relief work," President Tsai Ing-wen's office said in a statement.
The government has said it will provide further updates on the situation later on Wednesday morning.
Among the buildings toppled in the quake was the Marshal Hotel in Hualien, where three people were trapped inside, the government said.
Four other buildings, including two hotels and a military hospital, also tilted during the quake in Hualien, which is located about 120 kilometres (75 miles) south of the capital, Taipei.
Taiwan has frequent earthquakes due to its position along the "Ring of Fire," the seismic faults encircling the Pacific Ocean where most of the world's earthquakes occur.
The government said two bridges in the city were either cracked or could not be used due to the quake.
Taiwan, a self-ruled island that China considers part of its territory, is prone to earthquakes.
More than 100 were killed in a quake in southern Taiwan in 2016, and some Taiwanese remain scarred by a 1999 earthquake with 7.6 magnitude whose impact was felt across the island and in which more than 2,000 people died.
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