TAINAN: After propping himself against a wall for 20 hours to avoid smothering his girlfriend, Ko Ching-chung's strength was draining away.

The young couple had been trapped in Saturday's pre-dawn collapse of the Weiguan Golden Dragon apartment complex in the southern Taiwanese city of Tainan following a strong earthquake. Outside, rescuers were frantically searching for survivors amid the smashed concrete and twisted iron.

"Toward the end, to tell you the truth, I had already given up," Ko told Taiwanese broadcaster FTV from his hospital bed on Monday, a day after he and his girlfriend were rescued.

"I had no strength left to hold myself up anymore. My body fell on top of her. She would have soon not been able to breathe. I said to her I had to lay on top of her, and she said to me it's OK."