TSMC stops work at Kaohsiung site after four workers die

Four construction workers have died at a TSMC construction site in Taiwan. The company said it has stopped work at the site, Reuters reported. According to the Taipei Times, the deaths came after a collapse at the chipmaker’s site in Kaohsiung, a port city in southern Taiwan.

The toll rose over two days. On the evening of Oct 20, Focus Taiwan reported that two workers at the Kaohsiung site had been found with no vital signs. By Oct 21, reports put the number of dead at four.

A stoppage with no stated cause or end date

TSMC has not said what caused the collapse or how long work will be halted. It has also not said whether the stoppage touches its chip production or its plans for the site.

The site is part of a wider building effort. A day earlier, Pacific Tape covered a Chosunbiz report that TSMC is adding a 3nm plant in Taiwan. That report did not concern the Kaohsiung site.

The company’s September revenue was NT$511.86 billion (about US$15.78 billion). That was 0.57% lower than in August and 54.65% higher than a year earlier, according to its monthly report. TSMC said the gain was due to increased demand for advanced-process products.

Shares flat before the news

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TSMC’s most recent close came on Oct 19, before the first reports of the accident. The stock ended that day at NT$2,420, about US$74.59 at 32.444 NT dollars per US dollar, with no change from Oct 16. Measured from Sept 24, the stock was down 2.22% in NT dollars and 4.48% in US dollars. The gap came from a weaker NT dollar, which slipped from 31.693 to 32.444 per US dollar over the same span, a 2.37% move.

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Information only, not investment advice.