UPDATE - Magnitude 6.8 earthquake strikes southeastern Taiwan

UPDATES WITH CASUALTIES, DAMAGES; CHANGES DECK; REVISES BY-LINE

By Ahmet Gencturk and Emre Aytekin

ANKARA / BEIJING (AA) – A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck southeastern Taiwan, local media reported on Sunday.

The earthquake that caused shockwaves in most parts of Taiwan took place at a depth of 7 kilometers (4.4 miles), said a local Taiwan News outlet, citing the US Geological Survey.

One person died and some others were injured from the quake that jolted Taiwan's Taitung County, according to Taiwanese media outlets.

The four people, trapped in the three-storey supermarket that collapsed in the district, were rescued by the fire brigade.

The transport infrastructure was also damaged due to the earthquake.

In Hualien, the Gaoliao and Luntien bridges over the Shiuguluan River collapsed, while the Yuli Bridge was damaged.

A total of three people trapped on the collapsed bridge in Gaoliao were rescued and taken to the hospital.

The Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) reported that the collapsing dome of the railway station in the Dongli district fell on the Hualien-Taitung train, leading to the derailment of six carriages.

While 20 passengers in the wagons were rescued, the TRA said train services were stopped due to the damage to the tracks.

Some 7,073 households were left without electricity, as well as outages in some parts of the cities of Taipei, New Taipei, Tainan, and Kaohsiung.

The Education Ministry reported that there was material damage to schools after the earthquake, while education was suspended in Hualien and Taitung.

After the earthquake, many aftershocks were recorded, with the most severe one having a magnitude of 5.8, while the US Tsunami Warning Center and the Japanese Meteorological Agency issued a short-term giant wave warning off Taiwan.

* Writing by Merve Berker