Shaimaa Khalil
Reporting from Tokyo

Image source, Getty Images

Flights were suspended at Naha airport following the initial tsunami warning but have now been lifted - but it will take some time for the airlines to resume operations with pictures showing stranded passengers.

Earlier, passengers were urged to move to higher floors of the airport terminal building, according to the Naha airport operator.

The airport is located on the coast of the main island of Okinawa.

It has been a very tense morning here in Japan. Authorities may have lifted the initial Tsunami warning, but they’re urging residents of Okinawa and other southwestern coastal areas not to let their guard down.

Japan Meteorological Agency said residents have to remain "vigilant for aftershocks with similar intensity" warning the tide may also change.

One resident Ishigaki island told the Kyodo news agency: "I was surprised when my mobile phone's alarm rang loudly. There have been a lot of earthquakes recently, so I'm scared."

Image source, EPA

Taiwan President Tsai has also posted her first message on X since the quake struck and it's a specific message of gratitude to Japan, and written in Japanese.

"I would like to express my gratitude to Prime Minister Kishida for his words of sympathy. It has brought warmth to the hearts of those of us in Taiwan," she said.

"I myself have seen Japanese people posting messages of support for Taiwan on social media, and once again felt the friendship between Taiwan and Japan."

We've just heard from a press conference at Taiwan's Central Emergency Operation Centre, which has confirmed there have been 101 aftershocks recorded as of 15:00 local time (08:00 BST).

Taiwan's foreign office has issued a statement on X expressing thanks for the offers of aid from "allies and friends" like Japan and Paraguay.

Earlier Taiwan's agency which engages with China - its Mainland Affairs Council - also thanked China for its concern but said there would be no request for assistance from that side. As we've reported, Beijing had been quick to offer disaster relief.

"We appreciate the worldwide good wishes and prayers issued in the wake of the 7.2 earthquake and ongoing aftershocks," Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote on X., external

"Support from allies & friends in moments of adversity touches our hearts & strengthens our resolve—#Taiwan, external stands strong as an #IslandOfResilience, external."

Thomas Mackintosh
Live reporter

If you are just joining our coverage of the Taiwanese earthquake, let's bring you up to date with what we know so far:

• Taiwan's government says at least seven people have died and 711 have been injured after an offshore earthquake struck the eastern coast of the island
• At a magnitude of the 7.4 it was the most powerful to hit the island in 25 years
• Buildings in the capital, Taipei, and surrounding areas shook violently and it is feared dozens of people are trapped under rubble in Hualien county, near the epicentre
• Tsunami alerts issued for nearby Japanese islands and the northern coast of the Philippines have been downgraded
• Japan and China have offered assistance to Taiwan
• President Tsai Ing-wen says Taiwan's military will be deployed in rescue operations

Image source, .

Mariko Oi
News reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has posted on X, formerly Twitter, to offer "any assistance necessary to Taiwan - our neighbour across the sea - in times of difficulty".

Mr Kishida also said Japan was grateful for "the heartwarming support it received from their friends in Taiwan" during previous earthquakes.

Taiwan was one of the biggest contributors of financial aid after Japan was hit by the massive 9.0 quake in 2011, and it also raised millions after the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture was hit by an earthquake on 1 January.

Taiwan and Japan are affected by earthquakes frequently, and it has become common practice for their leaders to post messages of support on social media in each other's languages.

The number of people killed in the earthquake has risen to seven, according to Taiwan's National Fire Agency.

As we have been reporting, Taiwan's national fire agency says at least four people have died after a powerful offshore earthquake struck the eastern coast of the island.

Below you can watch footage from inside buildings and across Taiwan as the earthquake struck.

Taiwan's National Fire Agency have said 711 people have been injured in the earthquake; while 77 people remain "trapped".

Officials say so far four people are known to have died.

Ocean Tsai lives in Hualien, the city closest to the epicentre of the quake. He's used to earthquakes, he told the BBC and had at first thought it was a minor one.

The shaking at first had not been too intense, he told the BBC. But then suddenly, in the middle and later stages, "it became violent".

"I was just getting out of bed when a clothes rack and a low cabinet fell over," he said. A bookshelf also toppled.

"It kept getting stronger, and I started worrying about our belongings at home. Fortunately, apart from the motorcycle tipping over, the damage was minimal."

Image source, Ocean Tsai

Image source, Ocean Tsai

Iris Li, a tour guide at Taroko Gorge on the east coast, was on her way to the national park with a tour group when the earthquake hit. She had not entered the gorge at the time.

She told the BBC she has a colleague who is a tour guide who was hiking in the gorge and who has been uncontactable since the quake struck

Image source, Iris Li

Image source, Iris Li

Image source, Iris Li

Emily Feng is a correspondent for the NPR news organisation in Taipei.

Speaking to BBC News earlier, she spoke about Taiwan's emergency alert system.

"Right now they’re also looking in to the emergency alert system because there was supposed to be an alert that went out before the earthquake and only some people received it.

"I certainly did not get one, so people are trying to figure out what the heck happened with this emergency system.”

She explained that many people in Taipei are returning to their homes and that the mood was generally calm because citizens "are prepared for this" and used to regular earthquakes.

"The power is still on, the internet is working," she said.

Chinese authorities put out a statement soon after the earthquake struck, saying they were willing to provide disaster relief assistance.

China's east coast lies just 180km (111 miles) from Taiwan.

"The mainland is highly concerned about the situation and extends sincere sympathy to the Taiwan compatriots affected by the disaster," said Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council.

Chinese state media has also been widely reporting the disaster.

China and Taiwan have a tense relationship. Taiwan sees itself as a sovereign country, but Beijing sees it as a breakaway province that will eventually be part of the country, and has not ruled out the use of force to achieve this.

The tensions are constant - in the hour just before the earthquake Taiwan's defence ministry had put out a daily briefing noting that 20 Chinese military aircraft had crossed into its self-proclaimed air defence zone in the past 24 hours.

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen said the military will be deployed in rescue operations and has urged central agencies to maintain contact with local governments.

In a post on Facebook, she also urged residents to pay attention to updates from officials, and avoid taking lifts, given the series of aftershocks that the quake has set off.

Earlier, Taiwanese authorities said the earthquake had caused buildings in Hualien to collapse. Footage on local broadcasts show some buildings leaning at precarious angles. Multiple evacuations are taking place on site.

People are also trapped in four separate tunnels in Hualien.

Suhua Highway, a major highway project in the island's north-east - connecting Su'ao Township and Hualien - has also been affected with roads closed.

Image source, EPA

Rupert Wingfield-Hayes
Asia correspondent, in Taipei

Hualien, the quake's epicentre, is a small city on the east coast of Taiwan. It’s quite remote and home to the indigenous tribal cultures of Taiwan.

For most of its history, this area has been completely cut off from the rest of Taiwan because the central mountains of Taiwan are much bigger than most people realise - the highest peak is just short of 4,000 metres (13,100 ft) - that is higher than Mount Fuji.

Taroko Gorge just outside of Hualien is considered to be one of the natural wonders of Asia. People come from all over the world to see it and they might indeed be trapped in the gorge right now because of the earthquake and because of landslides.

Infrastructure has been improved over the last couple of decades, but this is still considered a difficult place to get to - and the only way that rescue teams are going to get there is by air.

In the Taiwan capital, shaking from the earthquake led to long metal poles falling from the construction site of a skyscraper.

It's unknown for now what damage might have been caused.

Rupert Wingfield-Hayes
in Taipei

We’re seeing pictures of a very powerful tidal surge hitting the port of Nanfang'ao, a major fishing port on the north east coast. It went into the port and then out again. The water height didn’t change much, but the water looks very powerful and one boat was just being carried out on the surge as it receded.

Shaimaa Khalil
Tokyo correspondent

In Japan, authorities earlier issued a tsunami advisory for islands in the southern prefecture of Okinawa, where they also ordered residents of Japan’s southwestern areas to move away from the coast.

Japan's Meteorological Agency has now lifted the tsunami advisory issued for the Miyakojima and Yaeyama islands and the Okinawa Main Island.

Officials are urging people to remain cautious as the tide level could change.

Earlier authorities had urged residents to stay on high alert despite waves not reaching the 3m (9.8ft) height initially expected in some areas.

All flights have been halted to and from Okinawa’s main airport - in the city of Naha.

The Philippines, which lies to the south of Taiwan, has also declared a tsunami alert for its northern coastline.

Image source, AP

Rescue work is continuing in order to reach people trapped in Hualien as well as other areas in Taiwan.

According the National Fire Agency, many people are trapped in tunnels, including Renqing Tunnel and Qingshui Tunnel.

At least 12 people were rescued from the Uranus Building in Hualien.

In Taipei, two people were rescued from a trapped elevator in Zhongshan District and seven people were rescued from the scene of a collapsed building in Xindian District in New Taipei City.

Image source, National Fire Agency

Rupert Wingfield-Hayes
in Taipei

There's obviously physical damage in Hualien, the two large buildings that are partially collapsed.

We've also seen bridges in the mountains collapsed or swept away by landslides. There is also video of very large landslides coming down mountainsides not just into the ocean but into valleys as well.

Landslides have been a big factor because of the topgraphy - this part of the island is a very dramatic, rugged coastline with mountains that go straight into the sea.

There is some video coming from a fishing boat off the coast - which we are trying to source and get verified - showing extraordinary pictures of the vast landslides along the coast, tumbling down the mountains and then causing huge clouds to billow up from the sea.

We will find out if there's more damage to villages and towns in the mountains. We don't know at the moment.