Taiwan's strongest earthquake in five years shook the city of Taipei on Friday, causing tall buildings to sway and shutting down the subway system during the lunchtime rush hour. Two people were wounded, but no serious damage was caused, CCTV reported Saturday.

The magnitude seven-epicenter was in the Pacific Ocean. In Yilan city, goods were knocked off supermarket shelves and though the heart of the tremor was far from Taipei, it gently rocked buildings for about a minute.

The quake caused sidewalks to shake slightly, while the subway system shut down for about an hour, stranding thousands of lunchtime passengers. The tremor also led a brief power outage, stopping elevators in Taipei 101, the world's tallest skyscraper. Earthquakes often hit Taiwan, but often cause little or no damage.

(CCTV October 17, 2004)