Taiwan quake death toll reaches 116, as rescue ends

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Heavy machines clear up the remains of a collapsed 17-storey building in Tainan City, south Taiwan, 13 February 2016.Image source, EPA
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Hundreds of people were inside the Weiguan Jinlong building when it collapsed

The remains of the final person reported missing from a collapsed building in Taiwan have been found, a week after a powerful earthquake.

The discovery in Tainan city has brought rescue efforts to an end, mayor William Lai announced.

The death toll from the 6.4-magnitude earthquake now stands at 116.

Mr Lai identified the last missing person to be pulled out from the apartment building's rubble as Hsieh Chen-yu.

He was part of the building's management committee and "might have wanted to wait until everyone else had left", Lai said, according to the Central News Agency.

On Friday, the president and president-elect attended a memorial service held by relatives of the dead and missing.

All but two of the people killed had been inside the 17-storey building, which completely collapsed.

Lin Ming-hui, the developer of the Weiguan Jinlong (Golden Dragon) complex, and two architects have been detained on suspicion of negligence, amid accusations that the building was poorly constructed.

Image source, EPA
Image caption,
Family members left incense and offerings for those killed in the earthquake at Friday's memorial
Image source, EPA
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Amid the grief there is anger about whether poor construction contributed to the death toll