Quake rattles north Taiwan, no reports of damage

TAIPEI, Nov 8 (Reuters) A moderate earthquake measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale rattled northern Taiwan today, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

The epicentre of the quake, which struck at 6:54 a.m. (1054 GMT) was about 46 km (29 miles) east of the northeastern Ilan county, at a depth of 4 km (2.5 miles), the Central Weather Bureau said in a statement.

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

One of Taiwan's worst-recorded quakes occurred in September 1999.

Measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale, it killed more than 2,400 people and destroyed or damaged 50,000 buildings.

REUTERS MP AS0618