Taiwan’s 7.3 magnitude earthquake leaves four dead, many injured

A 7.3 magnitude earthquake in Taiwan has left no fewer than four people dead and 97 injured on Wednesday.

The earthquake, said to be Taiwan’s strongest in 25 years, has prompted mainland China, Japan and the Philippines to issue tsunami warnings.

The quake toppled at least 26 buildings and left others tilting, particularly close to the epicentre in the eastern county of Hualien.

The disaster caused underground train services in Taiwan’s capital, Taipei, to be halted and also there were power cuts throughout the south and east of the island.

The earthquake was the strongest to hit Taiwan since 1999 when a 7.6 magnitude quake left 2,400 people dead and 50,000 buildings damaged.

A small tsunami, however, hit southern Japanese islands following the earthquake.

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Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, Yoshimasa Hayashi, noted that there has been no report of injury or damage in the country.

He encouraged the residents in the Okinawa region to stay on high ground until all tsunami advisories are lifted.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world’s biggest producer of advanced microchips, partially shut down its operations after Wednesday’s earthquake. Three other semiconductor factories also temporarily halted parts of their operations.

“To ensure the safety of personnel, some fabs were evacuated according to company procedure. We are currently confirming the details of the impact,” TCMP said.

However, the self-governing island off the southern coast of China is the focus of geopolitical tension between Washington and Beijing, which wants Taiwan to reunify with the mainland.

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