TSMC, other Apple suppliers in Taiwan largely unaffected by deadly 6.4 earthquake

A tragic earthquake has hit the city of Tainan in southern Taiwan, injuring 144, killing at least 5 people and causing the collapse of several large buildings. So far however, it appears that Apple's suppliers in the region have survived the quake without sustaining significant damage.

According to a report by Reuters, Apple's Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co chip fab reported minor damage to some silicon wafers, but stated that its Tainan facilities were structurally intact and that the firm would "be able to make up for the wafer losses and so first quarter shipments will not be affected."

Two other Apple suppliers reported their facilities were unaffected by the quake: Catcher, the manufacturer of metal cases for iPhones, iPads and MacBooks; and Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, which supplies components for Apple Watch and Touch ID fingerprint sensors for iPhones and iPads.

The quake comes at a particularly bad time for Taiwan, as the country is celebrating the Lunar New Year, a major holiday season where many travel to be with their families.

A report by the BBC noted that the shallow epicenter of the earthquake resulted in amplified, violent shaking, and that the initial tremor had been followed by a series of at least five aftershocks.

At least 220 people have been rescued from damaged buildings. Search efforts continue and shelters are being erected for those who lost their homes in Tainan, which has a population of 2 million.

A series of large apartment buildings have either collapsed or were left precariously leaning from the magnitude 6.4 quake, which reportedly shook the city for 40 minutes and could be felt in the northern city of Taipei, nearly 200 miles away.

Fifteen years ago, a 7.6 magnitude quake in the middle of Taiwan caused the death of more than 2,300 people. Last year, AppleInsider published a special Greater China report on Apple in Taiwan.