Strong 7.0 quake strikes northeastern Taiwan

A magnitude 7.0 earthquake, the strongest to hit Taiwan in the past two years, struck the island on December 28, the country’s Central Weather Administration said.

The epicentre was located off the northeastern coast of Taiwan at a depth of more than 70 kilometres, the agency said.

The last earthquake of comparable strength occurred in April 2024, when a magnitude 7.2 quake killed nine people, injured 882 others, damaged 125 buildings, and left more than 91,000 households without electricity.

This time, however, no casualties or major damage have been reported, Bloomberg said.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world’s largest semiconductor producer, temporarily evacuated some employees as a precaution, though parts of its operations have already resumed normal work.

By Khagan Isayev