Earthquakes jolt Taiwan, no casualties reported
A 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit the sparsely populated southeastern part of Taiwan on Sunday, sending people who felt the jolt in the capital crouching on the floor for safety.
Taiwan's fire department said two people were trapped in a building housing a convenience store that collapsed in Yuli and two people had been rescued, while three people whose vehicle fell off a damaged bridge were rescued and taken to hospital. The Taiwan Railways Administration said three carriages came off the rails at Dongli station in eastern Taiwan after part of the platform canopy collapsed. The fire department said one person was injured.
The weather bureau said the epicentre was in Taitung county and followed a 6.4 magnitude temblor on Saturday evening in the same area, which caused no casualties. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake at a magnitude of 7.2 and at a depth of 10 km (six miles).
The U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a warning for Taiwan after the tremor but later lifted the alert. Japan's weather agency also lifted an earlier tsunami warning for part of Okinawa prefecture.
Reuters
