About 180 aftershocks reported in Taiwan following a major quake
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Taipei: Dozens of aftershocks following a 7.2 magnitude earthquake days ago rattled Taiwan’s county of Hualien on Monday through early Tuesday, Reuters reported.
No major casualties have been reported from the tremors as is confirmed by chipmaker TSMC, reporting no impact on its operations.
The major earthquake that hit ‘rural and sparsely populated Hualien’ on April 3 killed 14 people alongside subsequently giving rise to more than 1,000 aftershocks.
Throughout the night, tremors were felt on buildings in northern and western Taiwan including in the capital Taipei.
The largest quake among the mostly shallow ones measured at 6.3 magnitude.
Authorities said the180 earthquakes beginning Monday afternoon were aftershocks from the April 3 quake.
Seismological Centre Director Wu Chien-fu reportedly said that more could be expected as aftershocks were ‘concentrated release of energy’.
Two buildings, left uninhabited by previous quake, suffered more damage.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the largest contract chipmaker in the world, reported that the facility and safety systems were functioning normally, adding, however, that some staff were evacuated.
"Currently, we do not expect any impact on operations," the company was quoted as saying in an email.
A quake in Southern Taiwan in 2016 killed more than 100 people, and a previous a 7.3 magnitude quake in 1999 claimed more than 2,000 lives.
The country is prone to earthquakes as it is lying near the junction of two tectonic plates, according to the report.
