Employees Evacuated from Major Industrial Sites
Damage to Production Facilities Under Investigation... No Issues with Power Supply
On the 3rd, a magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck Taiwan, resulting in at least one confirmed death and dozens of injuries. The world's largest foundry (semiconductor contract manufacturing) company, TSMC, urgently evacuated some employees, and the estimated damage due to production facility shutdowns is expected to be around 80.9 billion KRW.
The Central Weather Bureau of Taiwan (CWA) reported that the magnitude 7.3 earthquake occurred at around 7:58 a.m. in the eastern Hualien sea area. At least one person died and dozens were injured. The epicenter was about 25 km south of Hualien County in the east and approximately 138 km from Taipei, but the tremors were felt across the entire island.
Buildings Collapsed and Traffic Controlled... Power and Other Services Restored
It is estimated that at least 26 buildings collapsed, with some people trapped inside, suggesting the damage could increase. Taiwan's meteorological authorities explained that the earthquake's intensity was level 6, the second highest out of 7 levels.
According to videos released by local media, buildings shook violently for about a minute during the earthquake, with some collapsing or tilting. In Hualien, Yilan, Taipei, New Taipei, Keelung, and Taoyuan areas, at least 50 people were injured by falling objects or by falling down due to the earthquake. Police reported that 9 people were rescued from a partially collapsed 8-story building in Hualien, while 5 remain trapped.
Police stated that traffic is being controlled due to issues such as falling rocks in Hualien and several mountainous sections of Taiwan's central highway. According to Taiwan High-Speed Rail Corporation, no train damage or injuries have been reported, but operations will be delayed until safety inspections are completed.
Authorities reported power outages across Taiwan at the time of the earthquake, but most power was restored by around 10:30 a.m. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen expressed concern over the damage and requested military support for rescue efforts in Hualien and other regions. This earthquake is considered the largest in 25 years since the magnitude 7.6 earthquake in 1999, which caused 2,400 deaths and destroyed or damaged 50,000 buildings.
TSMC Faces Estimated Damage of 80.9 Billion KRW Due to Work Suspension
Following the earthquake, Taiwan's leading company TSMC took measures such as urgently evacuating some on-site employees. However, the extent and scale of the damage are still being assessed.
TSMC stated, "For employee safety, some factory workers were evacuated according to internal company procedures," adding, "The industrial security system is operating normally." The company also reported that some production facilities were damaged and are currently shut down for inspection.
Local media Taiwan Commercial Times estimated, "Based on current calculations, the downtime caused by the earthquake is about 6 hours, and the impact on second-quarter earnings is limited to approximately 60 million USD (about 80.9 billion KRW)."
The Hsinchu Science Park (Zhuke) near Taipei, where the factory is located, explained, "Currently, there are no abnormalities in the jurisdiction areas such as water supply, electricity, sewage treatment plants, and laboratories within the factory." Employees of not only TSMC's advanced packaging factory but also tenant companies such as display manufacturer Innolux and Epistar have been evacuated. Some machines have stopped operating with warning alarms, but no abnormalities have been reported.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
