Strong quake shakes Taiwan, though no damage immediately reported

An earthquake shook Taiwan on Wednesday morning, setting off alarms in the capital, but no damage was immediately reported. The Central Weather Administration measured the quake at 5.8 magnitude. The shaking in Taipei lasted only a few seconds.

The US Geological Survey said the magnitude 5.0 quake was about 21 kilometers (12 miles) south-southeast of Yilan on the northeast coast. It was centered 69 kilometers (43 miles) below the Earth's surface. Deeper quakes can be widely felt while generally causing less damage than shallow quakes.

Taiwan lies along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," the line of seismic faults encircling the Pacific Ocean from Chile to New Zealand where most of the world's earthquakes occur.


Taiwan's worst modern quake, a 1999 magnitude 7.7 temblor killed 2,415 people, damaged buildings around the island of 23 million people and led to tightened building codes, better response times and coordination and widespread public education campaigns on earthquake safety.

Schools and workplaces hold earthquake drills, while cellphones buzz whenever a strong earthquake is detected.