TAIPEI: A magnitude-5.0 earthquake hit northeastern Taiwan on Wednesday, the US Geological Survey said, causing buildings to shake in the capital Taipei.
The quake struck at a depth of nearly 70 kilometres (43 miles) in Yilan County, near Taipei, USGS said.
Yilan fire authorities told AFP there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
“I felt the building shaking briefly when the quake hit,” said an official at Yilan Fire Bureau.
The National Fire Agency said there had been no reports of damage anywhere on the island.
Train services, including high speed rail, were not affected by the quake, although Taipei’s underground metro temporarily reduced the speed of its trains.
Taiwan is frequently hit by earthquakes due to its location on the edges of two tectonic plates near the Pacific Ring of Fire, which USGS says is the most seismically active zone in the world.
The last major earthquake occurred in April 2024 when the island was hit by a deadly 7.4-magnitude tremor that officials said was the strongest in 25 years.
At least 17 people were killed in that quake, which triggered landslides and severely damaged buildings around Hualien.
It was the most serious in Taiwan since a 7.6-magnitude tremor struck in 1999.
Some 2,400 people died in that quake, making it the deadliest natural disaster in the island’s history.
Since then, Taiwan has updated and enhanced its building code to incorporate quake-resistant construction methods, such as steel bars that allow a building to sway more easily when the ground moves.
Famous for its cutting-edge tech firms, Taiwan has built up an advanced early warning system that can alert the public to potentially serious ground shaking within seconds.
The system has been enhanced over the years to incorporate new tools such as smartphones and high-speed data connectivity, even in some of the most remote parts of the island.
