(Yicai) April 3 -- A 7.3-magnitude earthquake rocked the east coast of China's Taiwan in the early hours this morning, the biggest earthquake to hit in the area for 25 years, causing Chinese mainland authorities to issue a tsunami warning. No casualties have been reported.

The earthquake may cause a tsunami in the waters surrounding the epicenter, the Ministry of Natural Resources’ tsunami warning center said.

The earthquake occurred in the sea at a depth of around 12 kilometers and about 14 kilometers away from Hualien county at 7.58 a.m. today, according to the China Earthquake Network. The epicenter was located at 23.81 degrees north latitude and 121.74 degrees east longitude.

Some small tsunami waves were detected, according to the Beijing-based research center. First a 21-cm-high wave hit Longdong in the northeast of Taiwan at 8:29 a.m., a 30-cm-high wave reached Japan’s Ishigaki Island at 8:30 a.m. and a 45-cm-high wave was detected at Taiwan’s Chenggong, also in the northeast, at 8:41 a.m.

The quake was felt as far away as the east coast of Chinese mainland. Guangzhou Railway temporarily suspended some railway services, including the Meishan line and the east part of the Hangzhou-Shenzhen line that extends past Shanwei, according to the railway operator’s Weibo account. Services on the Shanghai-Kunming high-speed railway have also been adjusted.

Production at a Unitech Printed Circuit Board factory in the Lize Industrial Zone of Taiwan’s Yilan county was slightly affected but the earthquake did not cause a lot of damage, the high density interconnector producer said. Manufacturing has been suspended as an inspection of the damage is carried out but operations should resume before noon.

Factories run by LCD panel maker Innolux as well as chipmakers Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in the Hsinchu Science Park have been shut down, according to local authorities.

Employees from some plants have been evacuated to ensure their safety and a damage assessment is ongoing, said a spokesperson for TSMC, which supplies US chip giant Nvidia.

Editor: Kim Taylor