6.2 magnitude earthquake shakes Taiwan's east coast

Taipei, Dec 15: A 6.2 magnitude earthquake originating in the waters off Taiwan's eastern coast shook the island on Wednesday, but no injuries or major damage were immediately reported. The earthquake struck 29 kilometres (18 miles) southeast of Hualien, a city on Taiwan's east coast, the island's Central Weather Bureau said. The depth was 5.7 kilometres (3.5 miles).

Buildings in the capital, Taipei, shook for about a minute and the subway briefly paused operations to ensure passenger 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 quake hit the island's southeastern coast, toppling a building and killing one person. The 6.8-magnitude quake was the largest among dozens that have rattled the island's south-eastern coast since Saturday evening, when a 6.4 quake struck the same area.

There were no immediate reports of serious injuries. Most of the damage appeared to be north of the epicentre, which Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau said was in the town of Chishang at the relatively shallow depth of 7 km, as reported by PTI.