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Dozens of aftershocks struck Hualien County in eastern Taiwan on Monday night and early Tuesday, but only minor damage and no casualties were reported, with major chipmaker TSMC saying operations were not affected.
Yesen | AFP | Getty Images
Dozens of aftershocks struck Hualien County in eastern Taiwan on Monday night and early Tuesday, but only minor damage and no casualties were reported, with major chipmaker TSMC saying operations were not affected.
On April 3, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck sparsely populated Hualien County, killing at least 14 people. Since then, more than 1,000 aftershocks have occurred.
Buildings shook throughout much of northern, eastern and western Taiwan, including the capital Taipei, with the largest earthquake measuring 6.3 magnitude. Everything is shallow.
Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau said the series of earthquakes that began Monday afternoon, with an estimated magnitude of about 180, were aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake.
Wu Jianfu, director of the earthquake center, told reporters that the aftershocks were a “concentrated release of energy” and more were expected, although the intensity might not be as strong.
Heavy rain is expected across Taiwan this week, and people in Hualien need to prepare for further damage, he added.
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The Hualien Fire Department said that two buildings that were already unoccupied after being damaged on April 3 suffered further damage and tilted.
There have been no reports of casualties.
The world’s largest contract chip manufacturer, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC)The company, whose factories are located on the island’s west coast, said some employees at a handful of factories had been evacuated, but facilities and safety systems were operating normally and all personnel were safe.
“At this time, we do not anticipate any impact to operations,” the company said in an email.
TSMC’s Taipei-listed shares rose 1.75% on Tuesday morning as investors dismissed concerns about the earthquake.
In the mountainous Hualien County, some roads were reportedly closed due to falling rocks, and the government suspended work and schools for the day.
Taiwan is located at the junction of two tectonic plates and suffers frequent earthquakes.
An earthquake in southern Taiwan in 2016 killed more than 100 people, while a magnitude 7.3 earthquake in 1999 killed more than 2,000 people.