A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Taiwan’s northeastern coast late Saturday, the island’s central weather administration said.
It said the quake struck at 11:05 p.m. local time (1505 GMT/UTC), about 32 km (20 miles) from the city of Yilan, and was measured at a depth of 73 km (45 miles).
Residents and local media described how the earthquake shook buildings in the capital, Taipei, as the government sent alerts to public mobile phones.
Local media reported that some roofs collapsed and supermarket shelves fell.
Rail operators have temporarily slowed some train and high-speed rail services as a precaution.
However, within minutes the Taipei city government said there were no immediate reports of any major damage.
Reuters news agency quoted the country’s fire department as saying the quake was not strong enough for authorities to issue a tsunami warning.
Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te urged residents to “remain vigilant”. He encouraged them to check on family and friends and warned about possible aftershocks.
Chip maker TSMC evacuated buildings
However, the tremors forced the evacuation of some facilities owned by TSMC, the world’s largest contract chip maker.
“Prioritizing personnel safety, we are conducting external evacuations and headcount in accordance with emergency response procedures. Work safety systems at all facilities are operating normally,” the company said in a brief statement.
Taiwan is important to the global technology sector because it produces the most advanced semiconductors, including cutting-edge chips, which no other country can currently compare.
Any disruption at Taiwan’s chipmakers would jolt global supply chains, hurting industries ranging from smartphones to cars and sending tech prices soaring around the world.
Earthquake threat in Taiwan
Taiwan is vulnerable to earthquakes.
In April 2024, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck the east of the island, killing at least 18 people and injuring more than 1,000.
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake in 1999 killed more than 2,000 people.
Edited by: Roshni Majumdar