6.9-magnitude quake hits Taiwan

BEIJING: A 6.9-magnitude earthquake hit eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:44 p.m. Sunday Beijing Time, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).

The epicenter was monitored at 23.15 degrees north latitude and 121.30 degrees east longitude, at a depth of 10 km, Xinhua news agency reported quoting the CENC.

Strong tremor was felt across the island. A three-storey building in Hualien, whose ground floor was a convenience store, collapsed, trapping some people, according to local media.

A train carriage was turned over by a fallen rain shed in a railway station in Hualien, but all passengers left safe. A bridge fracture left two people injured. The rescue work is underway, according to local media.