The ceiling of an indoor badminton court collapsed as a magnitude 6.9 quake struck Taiwan on Sunday.

Footage shows the ceiling panels crashing down in a wave as panicked locals fled from the gym in Taoyuan City on September 18.

The United States Geological Survey said the earthquake hit 86 kilometres southeast of Lugu, Taiwan at 6:44 am UTC on September 18. It was recorded at a depth of 10 kilometres.

Taiwan's weather bureau placed the quake's magnitude at 6.8, and said it followed another strong magnitude 6.4 tremor on Saturday evening in the same region.

Local media said at least one person had died after being crushed inside a cement factory, while at least 146 more were injured. Some 500 people were reportedly left stranded in eastern Taiwan's mountainous areas after landslides blocked roads.

Earthquake-prone Taiwan sits between two tectonic plates in the Pacific 'Ring of Fire' - a seismically active rim around the Pacific Ocean.