Dozens of Earthquakes Hit Taiwan

Strongest Reaches 6.3 Magnitude

In Taipei, Hualien, the eastern county in Taiwan hit by a quake, felt lots of aftershocks on Monday and Tuesday, but there was only a little damage, and no one got hurt. TSMC, a big chipmaker, said its work wasn't affected.

Hualien, a mostly rural and sparsely populated area, was struck by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake on April 3, resulting in at least 14 deaths. Since then, there have been over 1,000 aftershocks.

Buildings in many areas of northern, eastern, and western Taiwan, including Taipei, swayed all through the night due to earthquakes. The biggest one measured 6.3 in magnitude, and they were all very shallow.

Taiwan's Central Weather Administration stated that the series of earthquakes, starting Monday afternoon and numbering around 180, were aftershocks from the significant quake on April 3rd.

Seismological Centre Director Wu Chien-fu informed reporters that the aftershocks were a "concentrated release of energy" and warned that more aftershocks could be anticipated, although they might not be as intense.

He added that with heavy rain forecasted for all of Taiwan this week, residents in Hualien should brace themselves for further disruptions.

There were no reports of casualties.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world's largest contract chipmaker with factories on the island's western coast, mentioned that some staff at a few factories were evacuated. However, they assured that facility and safety systems were operating normally, and all personnel were safe.

In an email, TSMC stated, "Currently, we do not expect any impact on operations."

Investors showed little concern about the quake, as TSMC's shares listed in Taipei rose by 1.75 percent on Tuesday morning.

In mountainous Hualien County, there were reports of road closures due to rockfalls, prompting the government to suspend work and school for the day.

Taiwan, situated near the junction of two tectonic plates, is prone to earthquakes.

In 2016, over 100 people lost their lives in a quake in southern Taiwan, while a 7.3 magnitude earthquake in 1999 claimed the lives of more than 2,000 people.

The Hualien fire department reported that two buildings, which were already uninhabited due to damage from the April 3rd quake, experienced additional damage and were leaning.