Numerous aftershocks, including one with a magnitude of 6.3, shake Taiwan, but little damage is reported
Numerous aftershocks rocked Taiwan’s earthquake-stricken eastern county of Hualien late on Monday and early on Tuesday, but no fatalities or significant damage were recorded, and leading chipmaker TSMC stated its operations were unaffected.
At least 14 people were murdered in Hualien, a mostly rural and poorly inhabited region, when a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck on April 3. Since then, there have been more than 1,000 aftershocks.
Large swathes of northern, eastern, and western Taiwan, including the capital Taipei, saw buildings tremble all night long due to the strongest earthquake, which had a magnitude of 6.3. They were all really superficial.
The Central Weather Administration of Taiwan said that the approximately 180 earthquakes that occurred beginning on Monday afternoon were aftershocks of the major earthquake that occurred on April 3.
According to the Hualien fire department, two buildings that were already unoccupied due to damage on April 3 sustained more damage and were tilting.
There were no casualty reports.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the biggest contact chip manufacturer in the world, reported that although some employees at a few plants were evacuated, all people were safe and the facility and safety systems were operating as intended. TSMC’s factories are located on the western coast of the island.
It said in an email that “at this time, we do not expect any impact on operations.”
The Taipei-listed shares of TSMC rose 1.75% on Tuesday morning as investors dismissed their fears over the earthquake.
Following reports of rockfalls, many roads in the hilly Hualien county were closed, and the authorities called off work and school for the day.
Taiwan is earthquake-prone because it is located close to the meeting point of two tectonic plates.
A 7.3-magnitude earthquake in 1999 claimed more than 2,000 lives, while a 2016 earthquake in southern Taiwan claimed over 100 lives.
