A 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck sparsely populated southeastern Taiwan on Sunday, the island’s weather bureau said, derailing train cars, causing a convenience store to collapse and trapping people on a mountain.
The weather bureau said the epicenter was in Taitung County and was followed by a 6.4-magnitude tremor in the same area on Saturday night, which did not cause any casualties.
The American Geological Service USGS measured Sunday’s earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 and a depth of 10 km.
At 3:49 p.m., the Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning for the Miyakojima and Yaeyama regions of Okinawa Prefecture, but later canceled it.
Taiwan’s fire brigade said two people were trapped in a general merchandise building that collapsed in Yuli and two people were rescued, while three people whose vehicle fell off a damaged bridge were rescued and taken to hospital.
The Railway Administration of Taiwan said three carriages derailed at Dongli station in eastern Taiwan after part of a platform canopy collapsed. According to firefighters, one person was injured.
About 68 people are also trapped in the scenic Chike mountain area by a blocked road, although there are no injuries, the department added.
The quake was felt across Taiwan, the weather bureau said. Buildings in the capital, Taipei, shook briefly.