CNN –
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck southeastern Taiwan on Sunday, causing buildings to collapse and triggering tsunami warnings.
The earthquake hit Chishang Township in rural southeastern Taiwan and had a depth of 10 kilometers.
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning for Miyako Island in the East China Sea, but the agency later removed the warning. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) had also warned of tsunami waves on nearby coasts.
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.
Four people were rescued after being trapped under the rubble of a building, the island’s Central News Agency (CNA) reported.
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.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen activated the island’s Central Emergency Operations Center after the earthquake. Residents of Taiwan have been asked to remain alert to avoid possible aftershocks, Tsai said in a recorded statement.
About 110 soldiers have also been deployed to Hualien County, along the island’s east coast, to help with disaster relief efforts, said Taiwan’s defense ministry spokesman Sun Li- mud