Taipei
Reuters
—
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck about 32 kilometers (20 miles) off the coast of Taiwan’s northeastern coastal city of Yilan on Saturday, the island’s weather bureau said, but no major damage was immediately reported.
The 73 km (45 miles) deep earthquake was felt across Taiwan and shook buildings in the capital Taipei, the administration said, assigning it an intensity 4 category, meaning minor damage was possible.
According to the Taipei City Government, no major damage was reported in the immediate aftermath, but damage such as gas leaks, water leaks, and minor damage to buildings has occurred sporadically.
According to the Taiwan Power Company, more than 3,000 homes in Yilan City were temporarily without power.
Major semiconductor manufacturer TSMC said a small number of its facilities in the northern part of Hsinchu Science Park reached evacuation standards after the earthquake, and evacuated employees have since returned to their posts.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said people should be on guard for aftershocks of magnitude 5.5 to 6.0 tomorrow. He also said the damage from the earthquake should be limited as it was relatively deep and occurred offshore.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-de said in a social media post that authorities had brought the situation under control and urged the public to be on guard for aftershocks.
Taiwan is located near the boundary between two tectonic plates, making it prone to earthquakes.
In 2016, an earthquake in southern Taiwan killed more than 100 people, and in 1999, a magnitude 7.3 earthquake killed more than 2,000 people.
