Page 11 - ARUBA TODAY

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WORLD NEWS Saturday 10 February 2018

Hopes fading of finding more survivors in Taiwan earthquake

HUALIEN, Taiwan (AP) — on the scene, including a
Hopes of finding additional team from Japan deploy-
survivors from this week's ing cutting-edge equip-
earthquake in Taiwan were ment that can detect a
fading Friday after two heartbeat within a 15-me-
more bodies were found in ter (49-foot) range.
a partially collapsed hotel Taiwanese broadcast-
and no signs detected of a ers said earlier indications
missing family of five. that signs of life had been
Rescuers broke through to detected turned out to
a room in the Beauty Inn be false. Efforts to drill into
where the couple — Cana- the hotel rooms where the
dian citizens originally from missing were thought to be
Hong Kong — were found, trapped was made more
Taiwanese broadcasters difficult by the angle of the
reported. No signs of life building's lean and the col-
were found, they said. lapsed state of the interior.
The hotel, located on the TV stations also reported
lower floors of the 12-story rescuers had detected the
Yunmen Tsuiti building, had smell of decaying corpses.
almost entirely collapsed. Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-
The building itself was lean- wen visited Thursday with
ing at a 45-degree angle, people sheltering in schools
forcing crews to stabilize it Rescuers from Japan join the searching operation at an apartment building collapsed after a and other sites as a safe-
strong earthquake in Hualien County, eastern Taiwan, Friday, Feb. 9, 2018. A magnitude 6.4 earth-
with steel beams. quake struck late Tuesday night caused several buildings to cave in and tilt dangerously. guard against repeated af-
The others missing in the (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying) tershocks.
hotel are five members of Taiwan has frequent earth-
a family from China, includ- aged by the magnitude 6.4 dependent on tourism. old Filipino employed as a quakes, most of them mi-
ing parents, grandparents temblor that struck Tuesday The deaths of the couple, household helper. Taiwan's nor, but a 1999 quake killed
and their 12-year-old son. in the Pacific Ocean off the both 49, raises the death toll National Fire Agency listed more than 2,300 people
The Yunmen Tsuiti building coast of Hualien county, to 12, including four tourists 273 people as injured. and was Taiwan’s worst re-
was one of several dam- whose economy is heavily from China and a 27-year- Hundreds of rescuers were cent natural disaster.
Zuma drama overshadows South Africa's Mandela commemorations

By CHRIS TORCHIA of Zuma, who is under in- talks; some wonder wheth-
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — tense pressure to resign, er Zuma is pushing for immu-
The drama over whether pose a challenge for the nity from prosecution in ex-
South African President Ja- party that was the main change for his resignation.
cob Zuma soon will leave anti-apartheid movement South Africans are hoping
office because of corrup- during white minority rule for clarity by the time Ra-
tion allegations is overshad- and has led South Africa maphosa speaks in Cape
owing commemorations of since the first all-race elec- Town on Sunday, the 28th
the centenary of Nelson tions in 1994. The ANC has anniversary of Mandela's
Mandela's birth. lost moral stature because release from prison. Jailed
Top leaders of the ruling of the president's scandals for 27 years, the anti-apart-
African National Congress but Ramaphosa, Zuma's heid leader addressed an
won't take part in events expected successor and ecstatic crowd from the
leading up to a big rally new party leader, appears balcony of Cape Town's
Sunday that will be ad- intent on managing an exit City Hall on Feb. 11, 1990
dressed by Deputy Presi- for the 75-year-old presi- South African President Jacob Zuma leaves parliament in Cape and was elected as South
dent Cyril Ramaphosa, the dent that minimizes internal Town, South Africa, Wednesday, Feb 7, 2018. Zuma's exit from Africa's first black president
party said Friday. It said the divisions. power because of scandals appears to be getting closer with four years later. He died in
leaders, who have par- Ramaphosa this week his deputy, Cyril Ramaphosa, who is expected to replace him, 2013 at the age of 95.
ticipated in discussions on has held discussions with saying he anticipates a "speedy resolution" to transition talks he The period from then until
is holding with Zuma.
Zuma's exit, dropped out Zuma on a power transition (AP Photo/Brenton Geach) national elections in 2019
because of "various other and said he anticipates a would not count as a term;
commitments." prompt resolution, though South African democracy litical limbo. Speculation is South African presidents
The timing and circum- critics accused the deputy with confidential talks that swirling in the absence of can hold office for a maxi-
stances of the early exit of making a mockery of have left the country in po- any information about the mum of two terms. q