A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck offshore northeastern Taiwan on Saturday (Dec. 27), about 32 kilometers from the coastal city of Yilan, according to the island’s meteorological authorities.
Buildings shook in the capital, Taipei, while the quake had a focal depth of 73 kilometers. Taiwan’s fire department said damage assessments were under way.
The earthquake occurred at 11:05 p.m. local time (1705 GMT). There were no immediate reports of injuries or major damage, and no tsunami warning was issued.
TSMC, the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturer, said a small number of its facilities at the Hsinchu Science Park, where the company is headquartered, were evacuated in line with safety protocols.
The quake came three days after a magnitude 6.1 earthquake.
Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is prone to seismic activity. In 2016, a quake in southern Taiwan killed more than 100 people, while a magnitude 7.3 earthquake in 1999 claimed more than 2,000 lives.




