A road is blocked due to a landslide, following the earthquake, in Hualien, Taiwan (China), April 5, 2024. (Photo: Reuters)

"Rain increases the risks of rockfalls and landslides, which are currently the biggest challenges," said Su Yu-ming, the leader of a search team helping the rescue effort, pointing to expectations for rain. 

Searchers discovered two more bodies after Wednesday's quake of magnitude 7.2 struck the sparsely populated, largely rural eastern county of Hualien, stranding hundreds in a national park as boulders barrelled down mountains, cutting off roads. About 50 aftershocks rattled the area overnight, some felt as far away as Taipei.