Taipei: Taiwan was struck by a 5.9 magnitude earthquake Tuesday evening, the United States Geological Survey reported. The earthquake was detected about 71 kilometers (44.1 miles) south of Hualien City at a depth of 31.1 kilometers (19.3 miles), the agency said.
Hualien is relatively thinly populated compared to the highly congested western side of the island of 23 million people, which is frequently struck by quakes. Buildings in the capital of Taipei shook for about a minute. There were no immediate reports of major damage.
