A powerful earthquake measuring 7.4 magnitude rocked much of Taiwan on Wednesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, collapsing buildings in the southern city of Hualien and forcing tsunami warnings in southern Japan.

The quake, which struck at 7:58 a.m. local time Wednesday morning about 11 miles south of Hualien City, was quickly followed by a 6.5 magnitude aftershock.

Taiwan's Central Weather Administration called it the strongest quake on the island in 25 years, as tsunami warnings were issued for Taiwan and southern Japan with waves up to 9 feet.

Flights heading to areas with tsunami warnings were diverted or suspended, according to Japan Airlines.

While the Philippines also could get hit by tsunami waves for hours, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, there are no tsunami threats to New Zealand or the U.S. Pacific coast.

Entire buildings in Hualien, which has a population of about 106,000, collapsed or were tilted off their foundations. Security footage throughout the city caught the moment the quakes hit, showing structures and roadways shaking violently as people stopped in their tracks to wait it out. Other areas suffered landslides during the shaking.

The USGS said movement from the initial quake would have been "very strong" in the Hualien area, as well as Puli.

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