Aftershock warning after Taiwan hit by magnitude 7 earthquake

Tremors felt in capital Taipei and across island

People across Taiwan reported feeling “shaking” and tremors after a magnitude 6.6 earthquake hit the island’s northeastern coast.

The earthquake started at around 11.05pm local time on Saturday about 32km from the coastal town of Yilan but was felt across the island.

While the US Geological Survey said the magnitude was 6.6, Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration said the earthquake stood at magnitude 7, making it the strongest the country had recorded since 1999.

“Saturday's quake was strongly felt across Taiwan, but because it occurred at a considerable depth and its epicenter was offshore, it was relatively unlikely to cause serious damage," Chen Da-yi, a section chief at the the weather agency’s Seismological Centre, said at a press conference.

Buildings in the capital Taipei shook as Taiwanese president William Lai Ching-te urged residents to be alert for possible aftershocks.

Taiwan lies near two tectonic plates and is accustomed to earthquakes (AFP via Getty)

One resident in Yilan county described how a building shook first vertically and then horizontally.

"It kept on shaking for a while. Then I ran out, but most people did not run out. I was scared," he said.

The epicentre was 70km deep, and there were no immediate reports of widespread damage or casualties.

Local news stations showed hanging TVs swaying inside an office building, and spilt cleaning products and broken bottles that had fallen off supermarket shelves.

More than 3,000 homes in Yilan briefly lost power, the Taiwan Power Company said, as Taipei’s city government reported isolated cases of damage including gas and water leakage and minor damage to buildings.

An earthquake last year saw buildings collapse in Hualien City, eastern Taiwan (AP)

It designated the incident a category four earthquake, meaning minor damage was possible.

TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker, said that a small number of its facilities in the Hsinchu science park, where it is headquartered, reached evacuation criteria due to the earthquake.

The weather administration warned people to stay alert for aftershocks of magnitude 5.5 and 6.0 in the coming day.

A number of “high wave” advisories were issued in the Japanese regions of Hokkaido, Tohoku, Hokuriku, and Okinawa, but no tsunami alerts or warnings were given.

Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is prone to earthquakes. An earthquake with a magnitude between 6.0 and 6.9 is described as “strong”.

More than 100 people were killed in an earthquake in southern Taiwan in 2016, while a 7.3-magnitude quake killed more than 2,000 people in 1999.