Iran Press/ Asia: A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck Taiwan’s southeastern coast on Sunday with at least one building collapsing and train cars derailed.
The quake hit at 2:44 pm (06:44 GMT) about 50km (30 miles) north of the city of Taitung at a depth of 10km (4 miles), the US Geological Survey (USGS) said, according to Al Jazeera.
More than 600 people were trapped on the scenic Chike and Liushishi mountain areas by blocked roads, though there were no injuries and rescuers were working to reopen them.
A two-story residential building collapsed near the epicenter in Yuli district and work was underway to rescue two trapped people.
Video posted by Taiwan’s semi-official Central News Agency showed panicked residents running towards the building, which caved in on itself and sent up a thick cloud of dust.
The 70-year-old owner of the building and his wife were rescued, and workers were in communication with a 39-year-old woman and her five-year-old daughter still trapped inside.
Japan’s Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami advisory to remote islands near Taiwan, but it was later canceled. The islands are about 2,000km (1,200 miles) southwest of Tokyo.
Taiwan is regularly hit by earthquakes as the island lies near the junction of two tectonic plates.
More than 100 people were killed in a quake in southern Taiwan in 2016, while a magnitude 7.3 temblor killed more than 2,000 people in 1999.
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