Moderate quake rocks Taiwan, no damage

An earthquake measuring 4.9 on the Richter scale jolted Taiwan but there were no reports of casualties or damage.

An earthquake measuring 4.9 on the Richter scale jolted Taiwan Monday, the national seismology centre said, but there were no reports of casualties or damage.

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The quake struck at 12.18 pm, with the epicentre located 54 kilometres (33 miles) off the island's east coast, at a depth of around three kilometres, it said.

Taiwan, which lies near the junction of two tectonic plates, is regularly hit by earthquakes.

The worst recorded, measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale, hit the island in September 1999 and left some 2,400 people dead.