TAIPEI, Taiwan – A strong earthquake hit northern Taiwan (search) on Monday night, shaking buildings in the capital, Taipei (search), for several seconds. No injuries or serious damages were immediately reported.
The magnitude 5.7 quake's epicenter was in the Pacific Ocean, about four-tenths of a mile from the northeast coastal city of Ilan, the Central Weather Service said. Ilan is about 30 miles southeast of Taipei.
The entire island felt the tremor, the weather bureau said. A magnitude 5 quake can cause considerable damage.
Earthquakes frequently rock Taiwan, but most are minor and cause little or no damage.
Last month, an earthquake measured at magnitude 7 by the weather bureau but magnitude 6.7 by the Golden, Colo.-based U.S. Geological Survey (search) forced the Taipei subway system to shut down and knocked out power at the world's tallest skyscraper, Taipei 101 (search).
A magnitude 7.6 earthquake that struck central Taiwan four years ago killed more than 2,300 people.
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