Taiwan earthquake: Death toll rises to 10 as more than 300 'terrifying' aftershocks rock the island – live updates

A helicopter on Thursday recovered six people stranded in a mining area after Taiwan's worst earthquake in 25 years.

The authorities said that the number of people injured in Wednesday's earthquake, which reached a magnitude of 7.4, had risen to 1,058.

All those trapped in buildings in the worst-hit city of Hualien were rescued, but many residents, worried by more than 300 aftershocks, spent the night outdoors.

Watch live as rescue efforts continue today (April 4) in the city of Hualien following the deadly earthquake that killed nine people and injured thousands.

Taiwan on Thursday condemned China as “impudent” after Beijing's deputy ambassador to the United Nations thanked the world for its concern about a strong earthquake that struck the island.

China claims the autonomous island as its own territory and also demands the right to speak for itself on the international stage.

Geng Shuang, China's Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, said, according to a transcript of his remarks, that China is concerned about the damage and has expressed its condolences to Taiwan and offered assistance.

He added: “We thank the international community for its sympathy and concern.”

The Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its anger at these statements.

The ministry said it “officially condemns China's shameful use of the Taiwan earthquake to conduct cognitive operations at the international level,” using Taiwan's usual term for what it sees as Chinese psychological warfare.

The Taiwan Meteorological Department recorded more than 300 aftershocks from Wednesday morning to Thursday.

The aftershocks forced many people on the island to sleep in tents outside their homes or in emergency shelters.

Hendry Sutrisno, a 30-year-old professor at Hualien Dong Hua University, spent Wednesday night in a tent with his wife and child for fear of aftershocks.

“We went out of the apartment and waited for four to five hours before going back up to get some important things like our wallet. Then we have been here since then to assess the situation,” he told the Associated Press.

A 52-year-old Hualien resident, who gave her last name as Yu, told Reuters: “I am afraid of aftershocks, and I do not know how strong the tremor will be.”

“The aftershocks were terrifying. They're non-stop. I don't dare sleep at home,” she said.

At least 10 people have now been confirmed dead after the powerful earthquake that struck Taiwan on Wednesday.

Of the 10 dead, at least four were killed inside Taroko National Park, a tourist attraction in Hualien County famous for its canyons and cliffs about 150 kilometers from the capital, Taipei.

One person was found dead in a damaged building and another was found in a Hu Ren quarry.

Today, authorities recovered another body from one of the tracks.

Two Canadian citizens were among the hikers rescued Wednesday evening from the Shakadang Trail in Taroko Gorge in Taiwan.

The hikers, a 29-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman, were part of a 14-member group hiking the trail when a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck the island.

Twelve people from the group made their way to the trailhead, but two remaining hikers required a lengthy search and rescue operation, Taiwan News reported.

The National Fire Agency said about 690 people were still trapped or out of contact on Thursday in Taiwan, including more than 600 stranded inside a hotel called Silks Place Taroko. Authorities said that staff and guests at the hotel are safe and that work to repair the roads leading to the facility is nearing completion.

They added that others who were reported to be trapped, including 24 tourists and six university students, were also safe.

Authorities also said that about 60 workers, who were unable to leave the quarry due to closed and damaged roads, had been released. The Central News Agency said that all of them came off the mountain safely at noon.

Six workers from another quarry were airlifted.

About 40 people, most of them hotel employees who were earlier reported to be in the national park, remain out of contact with authorities.

Taiwanese channel SETTV captured the moment a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck live, with an anchor describing the powerful shaking as she tried to maintain her balance.

The powerful earthquake that struck Taiwan on Wednesday was captured by cameras in the newsroom during a live broadcast.

As the earthquake struck, live broadcasters continued to talk and present the news while the studio was visibly shaking.

A powerful earthquake that struck Taiwan caused powerful landslides and rocks fell “like lead,” a coal miner said.

A 7.4-magnitude earthquake on Wednesday caused at least nine landslides and debris to fall from hillsides on the Suhua Expressway in Hualien, which runs down the east coast.

Some people stranded in tunnels and near a national park were airlifted to safety on Wednesday, but at least 50 others were still missing.

“The mountain started raining rocks like bullets, and we had nowhere to run, so everyone ran next to sandbags for cover,” the survivor, identified by his surname Zhou, told Taiwan's Central News Agency.

“I was just getting out of bed when a clothes rack and a low dresser fell over,” recalls Hualien resident Ocean Tsai.

She told the BBC: “The situation became stronger, and I started to worry about our possessions at home. Fortunately, apart from the motorcycle overturning, the damage was minimal.