TSMC plant in Hsinchu County, Taiwan [EPA=Yonhap News],
As of the morning of the 28th, there were no significant damages reported despite the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that occurred in the northeastern waters near Yilan, Taiwan, on the night of the 27th.
According to the Taiwan Central Weather Bureau’s Seismological Center, a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 on the Richter scale was recorded at 11:05 PM local time on the 27th, near the waters off Yilan, Taiwan. The epicenter was located 32.3 km east of Yilan County with a depth of 72.8 km.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the China Earthquake Networks Center reported the earthquake’s magnitude to be 6.6.
Taiwanese media, including Central News Agency, reported that tremors were felt across Taiwan, but no significant damage, including casualties, has been confirmed.
In Yilan County, near the epicenter, 3,465 households experienced a 10-minute power outage due to a substation shutoff, and six high-speed trains made temporary stops. At Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal 2, ceiling structures broke and fell. In New Taipei, where major IT companies like Foxconn have headquarters, road cracks appeared.
Fire departments in nearby regions such as Taitung and Hualien reported no received damage reports.
TSMC, the world’s largest foundry, stated that its factory in the Hsinchu Science Park in northwestern Taiwan reached evacuation thresholds and safely evacuated personnel according to emergency procedures.
TSMC mentioned that “the safety systems in each factory zone are operating normally,” but did not comment on any production disruptions or damages.
A Hsinchu Science Park official noted that personnel from the Yilan, Longtan, and Hsinchu complexes were evacuated, and that water and power supplies in the Hsinchu district are normal. However, some building elevators in the Hsinchu district failed.
In the capital city, Taipei, there were 39 minor damage reports, including gas pipeline damage, water outages, broken traffic signals, building damage, and elevator entrapments.
The Taipei Disaster Center stated that it returned to normal operations at 2:15 AM.