The Japan Meteorological Agency has issued a tsunami warning for Miyako Island in the East China Sea following the earthquake, which struck Yujing District in rural Taiwan and had a depth of 10 kilometers.
Photos showed collapsed buildings in southern Taiwan after the powerful earthquake. The USGS initially recorded it at 7.2, before downgrading it to 6.9.
Three people are trapped under the rubble of a building, the island’s Central News Agency (CNA) reported. A fourth person was rescued.
About 20 passengers were evacuated after a train derailed in the area, but there were no casualties from the incident, the Taiwan Railway Administration said.
Kolas Yotaka, a former presidential spokeswoman who is running in local elections in Hualien County, said damage was also reported at a local school.