Magnitude 5.9 earthquake rocks Taiwan

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck at sea off the coast of eastern Taiwan at 3:24 a.m. Tuesday, according to the Central Weather Bureau (CWB).

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter of the temblor was located about 59.3 kilometers east of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 17.9 km, the bureau’s Seismology Center said.

The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a quake, reached a 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale in Hualien County’s Heping Village and Yilan County’s Yilan City.

The quake also measured intensity of 3 in other areas in Hualien and Yilan, as well as in Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu County and Nantou County.

An intensity of 3 was recorded in Taichung, Hsinchu City, Keelung City and Taitung, Miaoli, Yunlin, Changhua and Chiayi counties.

Agencies