Quake rattles north Taiwan

A moderate earthquake measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale rattles northern Taiwan, but there are no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

A moderate earthquake measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale rattled northern Taiwan on Thursday, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

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The epicentre of the quake, which struck at 6:54 am was about 46 km (29 miles) east of the northeastern Ilan county, at a depth of 4 km (2.5 miles), the Central Weather Bureau said in a statement.

Earthquakes occur frequently in Taiwan, which lies on a seismically active stretch of the Pacific basin.

One of Taiwan's worst-recorded quakes occurred in September 1999. Measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale, it killed more than 2,400 people and destroyed or damaged 50,000 buildings.