Taiwan earthquake: Shallow 6.2-magnitude temblor rattles Taipei

There were no immediate reports of injuries or major damage

File: A fissure is seen along a road by the collapsed Kaoliao bridge in eastern Taiwan’s Hualien county on 19 September 2022, following a 6.9 magnitude earthquake on 18 September (AFP via Getty Images)

A 6.2 magnitude earthquake originating in the waters off Taiwan‘s eastern coast shook the island on Thursday, with no immediate reports of injuries or major damage, said the island’s weather bureau.

The quake occurred at a depth of 5.7km, the bureau said, adding that it struck 29km southeast of Hualien, a city on Taiwan’s east coast.

Witnesses in capital Taipei reported that the tremor left buildings shaking for about a minute. Subway operations were briefly paused to ensure passengers’ safety.

Taiwan sits directly on a fault line as part of the Ring of Fire, a region in the Pacific Ocean that is seismologically active.

In September, a magnitude-6.8 earthquake hit the island’s southeastern coast, toppling a building and killing one person.

Earlier in 2016, more than 100 people were killed in a quake in southern Taiwan, while a 7.3 magnitude earthquake killed more than 2,000 people in 1999.

Additional reporting from the wires