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5.6-magnitude earthquake rocks northeast Taiwan

Thursday, 12 May 2016 7:07 AM [ Last Update: Thursday, 12 May 2016 7:07 AM ]

An earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale strikes northeast Taiwan.

An earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale has hit northeast Taiwan, the US Geological Survey (USGS) says, with tremors felt in the country’s capital, Taipei.

According to the USGS, the quake struck at a depth of 10 kilometers (six miles) just northeast of the coastal town of Suao, located 60 kilometers from the capital, at 11:17 am (0317) GMT on Thursday.

No reports of possible damage or casualties have been received yet.

In February, a 6.4 magnitude quake struck southern Taiwan, bringing down a large apartment complex, which resulted in the death of more than 100 people.

Excavators are used during the search and rescue operation at the Wei-Kuan complex, which collapsed in a 6.4-magnitude earthquake, in the southern Taiwanese city of Tainan, February 10, 2016. (Photo by AFP)

Taiwan lies in a seismically active area and is therefore prone to earthquakes, which mostly cause little or no damage.

But one of its worst-recorded quakes, measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale, occurred in September 1999. The tremor claimed 2,400 lives and ruined 50,000 buildings.

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