A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 struck the east coast of Taiwan on Sunday, prompting a tsunami warning from US authorities. The tremors were felt across the island, including in the capital Taipei, according to Taiwan's weather bureau.
The earthquake occurred less than 24 hours after a 6.4 magnitude tremor hit the southeastern city of Taitung on Saturday evening. Taiwanese broadcasters reported that a low-rise two-story residential building collapsed and at least one train carriage was derailed at a station on the east coast.
Videos shared on social media showed chandeliers and chairs moving violently, as well as a white cloud of smoke filling the street from the collapsed building. The Independent could not immediately verify these videos.
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued an alert for a tsunami of up to 1 metre (3ft) that could threaten several southern Japanese islands. Tsunami waves could hit Yonaguni island, about 110 km (70 miles) east of Taiwan, at around 4.10pm local time (8.10am BST), and subsequently impact three nearby islands.
Alerts were also issued for the Miyakojima and Yaeyama regions of Okinawa Prefecture. Officials urged residents near the coastline to stay away from these areas. Japan's weather agency estimated the earthquake's magnitude at 6.8 on the Richter scale.
