7.4 magnitude earthquake rattles Taiwan; Japan, Philippines issue tsunami warning | VIDEOS

A 7.4 magnitude jolted Taiwan on Wednesday morning, triggering a tsunami that hit the southern Japanese coasts, confirmed the US Geological Survey (UCGS).

Four people have died in Hualien County in Taiwan. The epicentre of the quake was located 25 km south-southeast of Hualien at a depth of 15.5 km in the Pacific Ocean, according to Taiwan's Seismology Centre. The temblor is reportedly the biggest in Taiwan since the massive 1999 quake of 7.6 magnitude that caused extensive damage.

Several buildings collapsed in southern Taipei while in Hualien a five-storey building was heavily damaged.

Train and subway services were suspended in the country initially.

A tsunami wave of 30 cm height was detected on Japan's Yonaguni, Miyako and Yaeyama islands about 15 minutes after the quake struck, confirmed the Japan Meteorological Agency. Flight services were suspended at a major airport in Okinawa amid tsunami alerts.

The Philippines’s seismology authority issued an advisory for “high tsunami waves”. “The people in the coastal areas of the following provinces are strongly advised to immediately evacuate to higher grounds or move farther inland,” the agency stated.