Scenes of earthquake in Taiwan, buildings shaking, cars falling on the highway, 7.5 magnitude tremor, video

Scary scenes emerged after the 7.5 magnitude earthquake that struck Taiwan on Wednesday morning. The epicenter of the earthquake was located off the coast of the eastern county of Hualien, in waters off the east coast of Taiwan island, according to the Taiwan Central Meteorological Administration.

Footage shared by users on social media showed fallen buildings, swaying skyscrapers and shaking highways. Taiwanese television stations showed footage of buildings shaking to their foundations in the eastern city of Hualien.

The Hualien fire department said two buildings “collapsed” near the epicenter, according to news agency AFP.

Immediately after the earthquake, a tsunami warning was issued by Japan for its southern islands of Miyakojima and Okinawa, and Taipei also issued a similar warning. The Philippines Seismology Agency also issued warnings to residents of coastal areas in several provinces, urging them to move to higher ground.

While the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said tsunami warnings “largely passed” after the quake, officials said Okinawa’s main airport suspended flights after the tsunami warning, AFP reported.

Also read: Strong earthquake of 7.5 magnitude hits Taiwan, Japan issues tsunami warning for southern islands

The earthquake was felt as far as Shanghai and as far away as Fuzhou, Xiamen, Quanzhou and Ningde in China’s Fujian province.

Taiwan’s Central News Agency said it was the biggest earthquake to hit the island nation since 1999, when a 7.6-magnitude quake killed about 2,400 people.