Powerful earthquake with magnitude up to 7.0 shakes Taiwan
An earthquake with a magnitude of up to 7.0 occurred near the northeast coast of Taiwan late on 27 December. According to the island's Central Meteorological Department, the tremor was recorded at 23:05 local time. The epicentre was located about 32 kilometres from Yilan County, at a depth of about 73 kilometres. This was reported by The Public with reference to USAtoday.
The tremors were felt in the capital Taipei, where buildings swayed visibly and authorities sent out emergency alerts on mobile phones. According to local media reports, in some areas, ceiling structures and goods in stores fell. At the same time, the city administration said there was no information about large-scale damage or casualties.
The quake caused railway operators to temporarily reduce the speed of trains and high-speed rail. Around 3,000 households in Yilan County were briefly left without power. No tsunami threat has been declared, which, according to experts, is due to the significant depth of the centre.
The tremors forced the evacuation of personnel at some facilities of TSMC, the world's largest contract microchip manufacturer. The company emphasised that its security systems were operating normally, and production processes did not suffer any critical disruptions.
Taiwan is located in the collision zone of two tectonic plates and is regularly affected by earthquakes. In April 2024, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake killed at least 18 people, and in 1999, a magnitude 7.3 aftershocks killed more than 2,000 people. The authorities urged the public to remain vigilant due to possible aftershocks of up to 6.0 magnitude in the coming days.
