Moderate quake jolts Taiwan

TAIPEI, Jan 5, 2010 (AFP) - A 5.5-magnitude earthquake hit waters off Taiwan early Tuesday, the central weather bureau said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

TAIPEI, Jan 5, 2010 (AFP) - A 5.5-magnitude earthquake hit waters off Taiwan early Tuesday, the central weather bureau said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The tremor hit at 3:27 am (1927 GMT Monday) about 31.7 kilometres (20 miles) southeast of Ilan, a coastal town in the east, with its epicentre 48.4 kilometres under the sea, it said.

Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates. A 7.6-magnitude quake killed around 2,400 people in September 1999.

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