According to Taiwan's weather agency, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck the sparsely populated southeast of the island on Sunday
derailing train cars, bringing down a convenience store, and trapping hundreds of people on mountain roads.
The epicentre, according to the weather bureau, was in Taitung County
and occurred after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake that struck the same region on Saturday night but didn't result in any fatalities.
The earthquake that occurred on Sunday was recorded by the USGS as having a magnitude of 7.2 and a depth of 10 kilometres (six miles).
According to Taiwan's fire department, three persons whose vehicle went off a damaged bridge were also recovered
and sent to the hospital, while all four people were saved from a structure holding a convenience store that collapsed in Yuli.
Due to its location at the meeting point of two tectonic plates, Taiwan is vulnerable to earthquakes.
In 2016, a quake in southern Taiwan claimed the lives of over 100 people, but a 7.3 magnitude quake in 1999 claimed the lives of over 2,000 people.