Strong earthquake in Taiwan traps people and causes a train to derail

Taiwan: On Sunday, a strong earthquake shook much of Taiwan, toppling a three-story building and temporarily trapping four people inside, stranding 400 tourists on a mountainside, and knocking a passenger train off its tracks.

The magnitude 6.8 quake was the largest of dozens that have jolted the island's southeastern coast since Saturday evening, when a magnitude 6.4 quake struck the same location. There were no reports of serious injuries at the time.

The majority of the damage appeared to be north of the epicentre, which was located in the town of Chishang at a relatively shallow depth of 7 kilometres, according to Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau (4 miles).

According to the island's Central News Agency, a three-story building in nearby Yuli town collapsed, with a 7-11 convenience store on the ground floor and residences on the upper floors.

The building's 70-year-old owner and his wife were the first to be rescued, but it took longer to reach a 39-year-old woman and her 5-year-old daughter.

The girl was lying on a blanket and being handed down a metal ladder from the top of the debris by helmeted rescue workers in orange uniforms, according to a photo released by the Hualien city government.

The building's top two stories were left sprawled across a small street and onto the other side, with electricity wires pulled down by the collapsed structure.

In Yuli, more than 7,000 households were reported to be without power, and water pipes were also damaged.

According to media reports, police and firefighters rushed to a bridge collapse on a two-lane road in what appeared to be a rural part of the same town, where three people and one or more vehicles may have fallen off.

A landslide also trapped nearly 400 tourists in Yuli on a mountain known for the orange day lilies that blanket its slopes this time of year, according to the Central News Agency. They had no power and a shaky cellphone signal.

According to the Central News Agency, debris from a falling canopy on a platform at Dongli station in Fuli town, which is between Yuli and the epicentre at Chishang, hit a passing train, derailing six cars. There were no injuries among the 20 passengers.

The tremors were felt in Taipei, Taiwan's capital, at the island's northern tip. A man was injured by a ceiling collapse in Taoyuan city, west of Taipei and 210 kilometres (130 miles) north of the epicentre.

The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning for several southern Japanese islands near Taiwan before lifting it.

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