Taiwan rocked by magnitude 7.0 quake but no major damage reported

Taiwan’s coastal city suffered no immediate reports of significant damage, according to the island’s weather administration’s meteorological office, which was a magnitude 7.0 earthquake.

The administration said on Saturday, putting the magnitude of the quake, which had a depth of 73 kilometers (45 miles), into an intensity-four category, causing only minor damage to buildings in the capital Taipei.

The government of Taipei City claimed that no significant damage had been reported in the immediate aftermath, with some minor damage, such as leaks of water and gas.

The earthquake’s magnitude was 6. 6 according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

The Taiwan Power Company reported that Yilan’s over 3, 000 homes briefly lost power.

Major chip manufacturer TSMC reported that only a small number of its facilities in the northern Hsinchu Science Park had met evacuation thresholds following the earthquake, and that staff members who had been evacuated have since returned to their positions.

The weather administration advised people to be on the lookout for aftershocks of magnitude 5. 5 to 6. 6.0 in the coming day. The earthquake’s impact, which was relatively deep and offshore, should be limited, it added.

In a social media post, Taiwan’s president William Lai Ching-te urged the populace to be on the lookout for aftershocks and claimed that the authorities had the situation under control.

Taiwan is prone to earthquakes because it is close to the boundary of two tectonic plates.

17 people died in Hualien City in April 2024 from a magnitude 7.4 earthquake that triggered landslides and seriously damaged structures.

It was Taiwan’s strongest earthquake in 25 years, according to officials at the time.