A strong earthquake in the Pacific Ocean off Taiwan that rocked the northeast of the island today has damaged houses and injured several people.
The epicentre of the earthquake, which measured 7 on the Richter scale and struck just after noon, was about 70 miles east of Ilan on the northeastern coast, at a depth of 37 miles.
The tremor, the strongest since a earthquake in 1999 that killed thousands, lasted for nearly one minute, shaking skyscrapers in the capital Taipei during the lunch-hour rush.
The mass rapid transit system in the capital was briefly suspended after the quake. A dozen workers people were trapped inside Taipei 101, the world's tallest building, but they were rescued shortly.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the world's top contract chipmaker, confirmed it had no immediate reports of damage from the earthquake, but would conduct an inspection.
Earthquakes occur frequently in Taiwan, which lies on a seismically active stretch of the Pacific basin.
In September 1999, a quake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale killed more than 2,400 people and destroyed or damaged 50,000 buildings.