Taipei: At least seven people were killed and nearly 730 injured after a powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.5 struck Taiwan, and damaged dozens of buildings on Wednesday.

Officials said the quake was the strongest to shake the island in almost 25 years and have wanted of more tremors in the coming days, AFP reported. 

The Japanese Meteorological Agency forecast a tsunami of up to 3 meters (9.8 feet) after the quake hit at 7:58 am (local time). Later, the agency said that the first wave of the tsunami is believed to have already arrived on the coasts of Miyako and Yaeyama islands.

Wu Chien-fu, director of Taipei's Central Weather Administration's Seismology Center said, The earthquake is close to land and it's shallow. It's felt all over Taiwan and offshore islands."

Following this, strict building regulations and disaster awareness appear to have staved off a major catastrophe for the island, which is regularly hit by earthquakes as it lies near the junction of two tectonic plates.

This prompted tsunami warnings that extended to Japan and the Philippines before being lifted.

Wu said the quake was the strongest since a 7.6-magnitude struck in September 1999, killing around 2,400 people in the deadliest natural disaster in the island's history.