Steph Deschamps / April 6,
The authorities are in contact with 101 people trapped in these tunnels or isolated areas, but are unable to communicate with 46 others, who they nevertheless consider safe and sound.
"I hope we can use the time we have today to find all the stranded or missing people and help them recover," Prime Minister Chen Chien-jen said on Thursday after a briefing at a rescue center in Hualien.
The island has been shaken by more than 300 aftershocks since the first earthquake on Wednesday, and the government has warned the population of landslides and rockfalls.
Taiwan is regularly hit by earthquakes, but strict building regulations and good disaster preparedness seem to have prevented a major catastrophe on the island.