A powerful, shallow earthquake struck southern Taiwan beforedawn Saturday, collapsing two high-rise residential towers andkilling at least 40 people and injuring hundreds. At leastfour people, including an 8-year-old girl, were rescued Monday, twodays after the quake, according to the Associated Press.

More than 120 people are believed to still be under the debrisin a disaster that struck during the most important family holidayin the Chinese calendar — the Lunar New Year.

Even though the 6.4-magnitude quake was shallow, few buildingswere reported to have been damaged, which experts said was becauseTaiwan's building standards are high.

The spectacular fall of a 17-story high-rise, built in 1989,raised questions about whether its construction had beenshoddy. The Taiwanese government has ordered an investigationinto the building's collapse, as images emerged showing tin cansbuilt into the walls of the toppled complex. Emergency workerscame across the tin cans during the rescue operation.

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Earthquakes rattle Taiwan frequently. Most are minor and causelittle or no damage, though a magnitude-7.6 quake in central Taiwanin 1999 killed more than 2,300 people.

Here's a look at the earthquake's aftermath and rescueefforts:

Rescuers are seen entering an office building that collapsedon its side from an early morning earthquake in Tainan, southernTaiwan, Saturday, Feb. 6. A 6.4-magnitude earthquake has strucksouthern Taiwan, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. (APPhoto)

Rescuers are seen entering an office building that collapsedon its side from an early morning earthquake in Tainan, southernTaiwan, Saturday, Feb. 6. (AP Photo)

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Rescue workers carry a baby swaddled in a cloth from therubble of a toppled building after an earthquake in Tainan, Taiwan,Saturday, Feb. 6. The 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck southernTaiwan early Saturday, toppling at least one high-rise residentialbuilding and trapping people inside. Firefighters rushed to pullout survivors. (AP Photo)

Emergency rescue teams search for victims in a collapsedbuilding after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake in Tainan, Taiwan,Saturday, Feb. 6. The earthquake struck southern Taiwan earlySaturday, toppling at least one high-rise residential building andtrapping people inside. (AP Photo)

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A woman is led by a rescue worker from the site of a toppledbuilding after an earthquake in Tainan, Taiwan, Saturday, Feb.6. (AP Photo)

Rescue workers search a collapsed building from an earlymorning earthquake in Tainan, Taiwan, Saturday, Feb. 6. A powerful,shallow earthquake struck southern Taiwan before dawnSaturday. (Photo: Wally Santana/AP Photo)

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Army soldiers search a toppled building an earthquake inTainan, Taiwan, Saturday, Feb. 6. (AP Photo)

A young girl is rescued from a collapsed building after anearthquake in Tainan, Taiwan, Saturday, Feb. 6. (Photo:Wally Santana/AP Photo)

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Rescue workers search a collapsed building from an earlymorning earthquake in Tainan, Taiwan, Saturday, Feb.6. (Photo: Wally Santana/AP Photo)

Rescue teams continue to search for the missing in acollapsed building, after an early morning earthquake in Tainan,Taiwan, Saturday, Feb. 6. (Photo: Wally Santana/APPhoto)

Rescue workers search a collapsed building from an earlymorning earthquake in Tainan, Taiwan, Saturday, Feb.6. (Photo: Wally Santana/AP Photo)

Emergency rescuers remove a body found in a collapsedbuilding from an earthquake in Tainan, Taiwan, Sunday, Feb.7. (Photo: Wally Santana/AP Photo)

An army soldier tries to listen for signs of life in acollapsed building from an earthquake in Tainan, Taiwan, Sunday,Feb. 7. (Photo: Wally Santana/AP Photo)

In this Sunday, Feb. 7, photo, a rescue worker stands neartin cans exposed in the cement structure of the collapsed buildingcomplex in Tainan, Taiwan. (Photo: Wally Santana/APPhoto)

Rescue workers carry a 28-year-old Vietnamese woman,identified as Chen Mei-jih, rescued from the rubble of a collapsedbuilding complex in Tainan, Taiwan, Monday, Feb. 8. More than 100people are believed to still be under the debris in a powerfulquake that struck on Saturday, Feb. 6, during the most importantfamily holiday in the Chinese calendar — the Lunar New Year. (APPhoto)

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