Six quakes strike off Taiwan, no tsunami

Six earthquakes including one with a magnitude of 5.4 struck off Taiwan's east coast early today, the Seismology Centre said, but there were no reports of damage or casualties and no tsunami warning.

Six earthquakes including one with a magnitude of 5.4 struck off Taiwan's east coast early Sunday, the Seismology Centre said, but there were no reports of damage or casualties and no tsunami warning.

HT Image

The moderate 5.4-magnitude quake hit shortly after midnight, 35 kilometres (22 miles) southeast of Hsilin village, with its epicentre at a shallow depth of 5.4 kilometres.

The other more minor quakes struck off Ilan city.

Taiwan is regularly hit by earthquakes because the island lies near the junction of two tectonic plates.

In September 1999, a 7.6-magnitude quake killed around 2,400 people in the deadliest natural disaster in the island's history.