A magnitude 5.4 earthquake rocked northern Taiwan early yesterday, the biggest temblor Taiwan has seen since since the beginning of the year, the Central Weather Bureau said.
There were no immediate reports of injuries.
The quake, with its epicenter in Yilan County, was felt most significantly in Yilan’s Luodong Township (羅東), where an intensity-5 tremor lasted for 26.7 seconds, according to bureau data.
Many residents in northern Taiwan, including those in the capital, were wakened and could feel the strong earthquake that lasted for more than 10 seconds at about 4:25am.
An aftershock with a magnitude of 4.2 occurred in Yilan about two minutes later, with both quakes representing normal releases of energy, bureau Seismology Center director Kuo Kai-wen (郭鍇紋) said.
There were 20 earthquakes registering a magnitude of 5 or greater in 2012 and last year respectively, he said.
The epicenter of the latest earthquake was in Datong Township (大同), 16.8km west of Yilan City, at a depth of 61.9km, the bureau said.
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