Major Earthquake Hits off Taiwan Coast 6.5

A 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck off the southeast coast of Taiwan on Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The quake swayed buildings in the capital, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage and no tsunami alert was issued.

The quake hit at 10:59 a.m. local time (0259 GMT), 195 miles (295 kilometers) off the southern Taiwan city of Taitung at a depth of 6.2 miles (10 kilometers), the USGS said. The agenc’s initial report had put the quake’s magnitude at 6.9.

In Taipei buildings swayed for up to 20 seconds when the quake hit but local television said there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage anywhere on the island.

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5.9 Quake Rattles Taiwan, No Reports Of Damage

An earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale rattled south Taiwan Thursday, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, officials said.

The epicentre of the quake, which struck at 12:53 a.m. (5:53 p.m. British time) was about 37 km (23 miles) west of Hengchun on the island’s southern peninsula, at a depth of 62 km, the Central Weather Bureau said in a statement.

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

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