Toyota Motor Corp. said three of its production lines in China will remain closed until Wednesday after the explosion last week in the port city of Tianjin.
Evacuation orders in the area prevent Tianjin FAW Toyota Motor Co. to operate for three days, Itsuki Kurosu spokesman in an email said. A production line in Xiqing, about 44 miles away, is closed because it needs parts produced in Tianjin.
The death toll from the explosion Wednesday at a chemical warehouse in Tianjin has risen to 112, while 95 people are still missing, Xinhua reported. The area was evacuated Friday and Saturday, and Toyota has said that about 50 employees who live in the surrounding areas were wounded. Two Toyota dealerships also closed due to the explosions.
As the largest production center for Toyota in China, any sustained closure will affect delivery in the largest auto market in the world. Tianjin FAW Toyota built about 440,000 cars of the Crown, Reiz, Corolla and Vios last year, nearly half of the local production company vehicles.
Toyota production was not affected last week because the lines were closed for a holiday, Kurosu said. Tianjin FAW Toyota employs about 12,000 workers as of July, according to the company.
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