An earthquake has toppled buildings in the south Taiwanese city of Tainan, killing at least seven people.
Rescue teams have been trying to reach people trapped in rubble since the magnitude 6.4 quake struck just before 04:00 (20:00 GMT Friday).
A baby was among at least four people killed when a high-rise block collapsed. More than 300 people have been injured.
President Ma Ying-jeou promised an "all-out effort" to rescue people.
Shelters would be set up for those who had lost their homes in the city of two million people, he said when he arrived in the city.
Television pictures showed rescue workers frantically trying to reach people trapped in collapsed buildings, using ladders to climb over piles of rubble.
One of the worst affected was the 17-storey Wei Kuan apartment complex, home to at least 256 people.
More than 200 people were rescued, but a baby, young girl and two adult men did not survive, officials said. At least 30 people are believed to still be trapped inside.
Interior Minister Chen Wei-jen said he feared more people may have been in the fallen apartment block than usual as families gathered to celebrate Chinese New Year.
He said investigators would examine whether the building's construction met requirements.
Residents told how they were able to escape from their homes in the block.
"I used a hammer to break the door of my home which was twisted and locked, and managed to climb out," one woman told local TV.
Another man tied clothes together to make a rope and lowered himself from the ninth floor to the sixth floor below, Apple Daily reports.
Irving Chu was in a hostel in central Tainan. He said he had been woken up by a tremor lasting about 40 seconds.
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