Strong earthquake Mw 6.6 rocks southeast Taiwan, local time 21:41, no reports of damage

There has been no reports of casualties or damage from the quake so far.

Taiwan's Central News Agency said the metro system in Kaoshiung city in the south of the island was temporarily suspended. The quake was also felt in the capital, Taipei.

A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.6 shook southeastern Taiwan on Saturday but there were no immediate reports of damage and no power outages.

The quake had a depth of 7.3 km with its epicentre in Taitung county, a sparsely populated part of the island, the Taiwan weather bureau said.

The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake's initial magnitude at 6.6. It said it occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles).

Taitung county commissioner April Yao wrote on her Facebook page the quake was “extremely strong”, while the official Central News Agency showed a picture of bottles that had been shaken off their shelves in a Taitung shop.

Taiwan’s fire department said it had yet to receive any reports of damage. State-run utility Taipower said there was no interruption to electricity supply on Taiwan’s east coast.

The quake could be felt across Taiwan, the weather bureau said. Buildings shook briefly in the capital Taipei.

Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is prone to earthquakes.
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Magnitude Mw 6.6
Region TAIWAN
Date time 2022-09-17 13:41:19.1 UTC
Location 23.14 N ; 121.26 E
Depth 2 km
Distances 97 km ESE of Douliu, Taiwan / pop: 104,000 / local time: 21:41:19.1 2022-09-17
85 km SE of Lugu, Taiwan / pop: 17,700 / local time: 21:41:19.1 2022-09-17