The Chinese mainland is willing to send rescue teams after an earthquake which hit Taiwan late Tuesday, killing seven and injuring 254.

    More than 200 people have been rescued, but there are still 88 people missing, with most of them trapped in the Yun Men Tusi Ti building in Hualien County.

    Six tourists from the mainland were injured and have been sent to a hospital in Hualien. One of the injured, a woman from Fujian Province, was in serious condition.

    Zhang Zhijun, head of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, received details about the rescue work through a phone call with Fu Kun-chi, head of Hualien County. Zhang said, "We hope local people will overcome the difficulties and rebuild their homes soon."

    Chen Deming, president of the mainland-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait, also said the mainland was willing to help with quake relief, including sending rescue teams to the island.

    "The mainland is learning about the conditions of mainland tourists, students living in disaster-hit areas," said An Fengshan, the spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council.

    According to the China Earthquake Networks Center, the earthquake happened at 11:50 p.m. Tuesday, the day before yesterday. The earthquake was followed by a series of aftershocks. It is the most severe earthquake to hit Hualien in fifty years, and 26 aftershocks hit the county until 9 a.m. yesterday.

    The highway from Suao to Hualien was closed. The earthquake also caused 200 families to lose power and 35,000 families to lose water supply, the local fire agency said.