An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 has struck off the coast of Taiwan, triggering a tsunami warning in Japan that has forced thousands of people to urgently evacuate.
Taiwanese media has reported that people are trapped inside collapsed buildings in the eastern city of Hualien.
Television images showed buildings Hualien shaken off their foundations while there are reports of power outages in parts of Taiwan.
The strong earthquake, which struck at 7.58am local time (12.58am UK) was felt as far away as Shanghai, is reported locally to have caused a landslide in eastern Taiwan, though this has not been confirmed by The Telegraph.
The quake has caused a tsunami, which could be up to 3 metres (30ft) high and is expected to reach Japan’s southwestern Okinawa coast shortly.
An alert was issued for the coastal areas of Japan near the southern prefecture of Okinawa, with residents told to evacuate.
Japan’s meteorological agency described the earthquake as very shallow, which can cause significant damage.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated
7.4 earthquake strikes eastern coast of Taiwan; damage still being evaluated
A powerful earthquake measuring 7.4 magnitude struck Taiwan on Tuesday, according to the USGS.
The quake struck on the island's east coast at a depth of about 21 miles. It hit about 11 miles south southwest of Hualien City. It struck just before 5 p.m. California time, which is 8 a.m. Wednesday in Taiwan.
A second big quake measuring 6.5, believed to be an aftershock, struck just north of that area about 10 minutes later.
Japan has issued a tsunami alert for the southern Japanese island group of Okinawa.
Japanese authorities said the first wave of the tsunami was already believed to have arrived on the coasts of Miyako and Yaeyama islands.
Taiwan's earthquake monitoring agency measured the magnitude as 7.2, while the U.S. Geological Survey initially put it at 7.5, then revised its measurement to 7.4.
A strong earthquake rocks Taiwan, collapsing buildings and causing a tsunami
A powerful earthquake rocked the entire island of Taiwan early Wednesday, collapsing buildings in a southern city and creating a tsunami that washed ashore on southern Japanese islands.
Television showed buildings in the eastern city of Hualien shaken off their foundations. Islandwide train service was suspended, as was subway service in Taipei. The quake struck at 7:58 a.m. on the other side of the island from the capital, but was strong enough to knock items off shelves in the city.
Taiwan’s earthquake monitoring agency gave the magnitude as 7.2 while the U.S. Geological Survey put it at 7.5. The depth was about 35 kilometers (21 miles).
The Japan Meteorological Agency forecast a tsunami of up to 3 meters (9.8 feet) for the southern Japanese island group of Okinawa. A wave of 30 centimeters (about 1 feet) was detected on the coast of Yonaguni island about 15 minutes after the quake struck. JAMA said waves likely also hit the coasts of Miyako and Yaeyama islands.
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