At least nine people have been killed and more than 900 others injured after Taiwan was rocked by its biggest earthquake in a quarter-century.

The magnitude 7.2 tremor on Wednesday shook buildings off their foundations and caused landslides in the eastern part of the island. Dozens of buildings in the eastern city of Hualien collapsed.

Rescue teams were working to free at least 137 people believed to be trapped in rubble or needing rescue, according to the news channel SETN.

Since the quake struck, more than 100 aftershocks have been recorded, unnerving the island of around 23 million.

The National Fire Agency said authorities have lost contact with 50 people in minibuses after the quake downed phone networks.

In the capital, Taipei, vehicles pulled over on the side of the road and the city’s subway service was briefly suspended while tiles fell from older buildings and furniture was knocked over from the force of the earthquake.

A series of aftershocks were felt in the capital about 15 minutes later and continued over the next hour. Authorities said aftershocks could continue for the next three to four days due to the earthquake’s intensity.