Here is the story in photographs, which tell stories of life and death, destruction and hope in the quake's aftermath:
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In the early morning, emergency rescuers continue to search for the missing in a collapsed building from Tainan, Taiwan, on Sunday.
Wally Santana / AP
A man breaks down after seeing the body of a relative recovered from a collapsed building in Tainan, Taiwan.
Wally Santana / AP
A survivor transported by rescue workers from a collapsed building.
Lam Yik Fei / Getty Images
Emergency rescuers search for missing in a collapsed building on Sunday.
Wally Santana / AP
A baby boy is rescued from a collapsed building in Tainan, Taiwan, on Saturday. A powerful, shallow earthquake struck southern Taiwan before dawn Saturday.