- Rescue personnel work at the site of a collapsed building in the southern Taiwanese city of Tainan following a strong 6.4-magnitude earthquake that struck the island early on February 6, 2016.
At least four people died and more than 200 were pulled out of the rubble by rescuers after buildings collapsed in Taiwan when a 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck an area in the island’s southwest
that is a hub for electronics makers such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.
The rescue operation center said 365 people have been sent to the hospital for treatment, according to its website. One person showed no vital signs, though hadn’t been declared dead, it said. The quake cut power to more than 1,200 households in Tainan and more than 2,100 in Kaohsiung city, to the south, stopping the water supply to about 400,000 households across the island, according to the National Fire Agency.
The earthquake that struck at 3:57 a.m. local time toppled eight buildings and caused five to lean in Tainan, according to a National Fire Agency statement. Local television and United Daily News footage showed buildings, including one of 17-stories, collapsed across a busy road, cars buried, exposed steel amid the mangled concrete structures, and rescuers pulling women and babies out of the rubble.
The U.S., Japan and mainland China offered assistance, according to a statement from Taiwan’s presidential office.
Chip Production
Taiwan is home to some of the world’s biggest companies that produce chips for the likes of Apple Inc. and Qualcomm Inc. The island is prone to quakes as it sits on the edge of where the Philippine Sea Plate and Eurasia Plate converge. Plate movements can trigger temblors that can cause disruption or damage to high-precision chip-making equipment. There have been about 79 quakes greater than 4.5 in the area since the beginning of last year, according to a search on the U.S. Geological Survey website.
“Supply chain disruption risk is unlikely as most of the factories should be able to be back to normal in a couple of days, and it’s off season in the technology industry,” Vincent Chen, president of Yuanta Investment Consulting, said by phone. “It should be manageable with inventories.”
The temblor’s epicenter was in Kaohsiung at a depth of 16.7 kilometers, according to Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau website. There were at least 40 aftershocks from the quake that happened at the start of the Lunar New Year holiday, a time when many people travel in the region.
First-quarter Shipments
TSMC was confident of making first-quarter shipment targets despite the quake that damaged some wafers that were in the manufacturing process, Elizabeth Sun spokeswoman for the contract manufacturer of chips for Apple, said by phone. The company will accelerate production to make up for the wafers affected, Sun said. There was no damage to its plants in Tainan and no injuries from the quake, she said. Employees returned to work after being evacuated.
Liquid-crystal display maker Innolux Corp. said all of its eight factories in Tainan were shut down automatically after the quake and that production is being resumed gradually. The company said its four factories in Hsinchu are operating normally.
United Microelectronics Corp. Chief Financial Officer Liu Chitung said by phone that there were no injuries nor any damage to its four chip factories in Tainan, though the machines will need recalibrating. UMC will evaluate the impact to its operations, Liu said.
President Visit
Corning Inc., a supplier of glass substrate for panel makers with one factory in Tainan, didn’t suffer any damage to its facility and it is examining its operation lines, Corning Display Technologies Taiwan President Daniel Tseng said in text message.
China Steel Corp. said its manufacturing lines in Kaohsiung and a unit in central Taiwan’s Taichung resumed normal operations before 7 a.m. local time. All employees are safe, the company said in an e-mailed statement.
Taiwan President Ma Ying-Jeou said on his Facebook page that he visited victims of the quake in the hospital and pledged full support. He said he urged rescue teams to do whatever they can to save as many people in
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