A major step has been taken toward the establishment of Taiwan's first undersea earthquake detection system, as a 45-kilometer-long submarine cable was installed off the island's northeastern coast on Thursday. The system is scheduled to be fully operational in October, and will provide a minimum of 10 seconds of warning time before an earthquake takes place.

The submarine cables are being pulled to the ground and connected to the machine room.

Meanwhile, engineers on a boat are waiting for further instruction.

The cables are to be buried 1.5 meters below the seabed to 45 kilometers off the outer sea for the country's first earthquake detection system, which would alert communities of an impending earthquake or tsunami.

The project is estimated to be done in June and inaugurated in October.

The Central Weather Bureau commissions Japanese company NEC to build the system, which is the same warning system in the recent Japanese earthquake.

According to the bureau, more than 70% of earthquakes that happen in Taiwan take place in outer sea but the damages often happen in the western half of the country.

That's why the warning system would be more beneficial to high-rise metropolitan areas.

Besides installing cables, underground scientific equipments will be set up.

The bureau says this is the first phase of the warning system, which would cost 430 million NTD.

It will strive for building the second phase, which aims to extend the submarine cables to at least 90 kilometers off the outer sea for a longer warning period.