Taiwan was hit by a second strong quake in less than two months Wednesday as a temblor that measured a magnitude of 6.2 rattled the island at 11:46 a.m. local time (13:46 AEST). Local chip makers were unaffected, however.
"Things are operating normally," said Alex Hinnawi, a spokesman for United Microelectronics (UMC).
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) was also unaffected by the quake. "So far we did not see any immediate impact from the earthquake," said J.H. Tzeng, a TSMC spokesman, adding that water and power supplies in Hsinchu, where much of Taiwan's semiconductor manufacturing industry is located, were operating normally.
No shutdown of sensitive chip-making equipment was required at TSMC as a result of the quake, he addedThe quake, which was felt throughout northern Taiwan, registered a local intensity of 5 in Ilan, 4 in Taipei and Hualien and 3 in Hsinchu and Taoyuan, according to Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau. No injuries or serious damage was reported.
The quake was centered off Taiwan's northeastern coast, 9.3 kilometers from the city of Ilan.
By 1:08 p.m. local time, nine aftershocks, measuring between magnitude 4 and 4.9, were recorded by the Central Weather Bureau.
On March 31, Taiwan was hit by a strong quake with a magnitude of 6.8. Five people were killed during that quake when a crane toppled off the top of the Taipei Financial Center, which is currently under construction in Taipei's Hsinyi district, landing in a nearby street. Across the island, an additional 272 people were reported injured by the quake, which also disrupted semiconductor production.
