Metro, rail services slowed after Yilan quake; some TSMC staff evacuated

Taipei, Dec. 28 (CNA) Metro and rail services across Taiwan were briefly disrupted Saturday night after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off the coast of northeastern Taiwan at 11:05 p.m., while Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) evacuated some staff at select facilities as a precaution.

The epicenter of the temblor was located about 32.3 kilometers east of Yilan County Hall, at a depth of 72.8 km, and 17 of Taiwan's 22 counties and cities reported a seismic intensity of 4 on the island's seven-tier scale.

Following the quake, metro services in Taipei and Taichung operated at reduced speed before resuming normal operations late Saturday, according to the metro operators.

The Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) Corporation said six trains - four southbound and two northbound - made temporary stops after seismic alerts were detected along sections of the line in Nangang and Yunlin shortly after 11 p.m.

Meanwhile, TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker, said a small number of its fabs in the Hsinchu Science Park met evacuation criteria, and personnel were evacuated outdoors in accordance with emergency procedures. The company said safety systems at all fabs were operating normally.

The Hsinchu Science Park Administration said some companies in the Yilan, Longtan and Hsinchu parks evacuated staff as a precaution.

Power and water supplies across the Hsinchu park complex remained normal, although elevator malfunctions were reported at two biomedical buildings, with repairs under way, according to the administration.

Elsewhere, the National Fire Agency said part of the ceiling in a waiting area at Terminal 2 of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport collapsed following the earthquake, but no injuries were reported.

Six cases of people trapped in elevators were reported in Taipei, New Taipei and Taoyuan, all of which have been resolved, the agency said.

As of 1 a.m. Sunday, authorities have reported no major injuries from the earthquake.

A total of 3,465 households in Dong'ao Township, Yilan County, experienced power outage at one point, but power has since been restored, according to the state-owned Taiwan Power Co.