Alwaght- A strong earthquake has struck Taiwan's southeastern coast, the US Geological Survey said, bringing at least three buildings down and tearing up roads, but forecasters said the threat of a regional tsunami had passed.
The quake hit on Sunday at 0644 GMT (2:44 pm local) about 50 kilometres north of the city of Taitung at a depth of 10 kilometres, the USGS said.
Its initial strength was given as 7.2-magnitude but USGS later downgraded it to a 6.9-magnitude quake.
In the Taiwanese town of Yuli, a two-storey building that had a 7-Eleven convenience store on the ground floor collapsed.
The Hualien fire department said four people who were trapped in the building were rescued.
Two other buildings in the town collapsed but no one was inside them, the department added.
Two nearby bridges also collapsed while two others were damaged.
At least 400 tourists were trapped by a landslide on a mountain in Yuli famous for the orange day lilies, Taiwan's Central News Agency said.
The Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) said a train derailed at Dongli station in Hualien after it was hit by concrete. No injuries were reported.
The China Earthquake Network Centre said tremors were clearly felt in coastal areas including Fujian, Guangdong, Jiangsu and Shanghai.
