Tuesday, September 28, 1999 Published at 19:52 GMT 20:52 UK
Taiwan earthquake: Full coverage
"The mood is one of shock and disbelief": BBC's Jill McGivering reports.
People who witnessed the earthquake have been telling of their experiences in emails to BBC News Online: Read their accounts.
"An agonising wait for relatives": The BBC's Adam Brookes
"Rubble in the hallway": Eyewitness David Bailey
The quake has killed hundreds, but the island managed to avoid the devastation recently seen in Turkey because of strict rules for constructing new buildings.
"Taiwan compares well with Turkey": Walter Mooney of the US Geological Survey