An earthquake jolted Taiwan on Tuesday (Oct 23), with tremors felt strongly in the capital of Taipei.

The earthquake, which struck 104km off the coastal city of Hualien, was measured at a magnitude of 5.7 by the US Geological Survey. Taiwan's weather bureau, however, said the quake had a magnitude of 6.0.

There were no immediate reports of damage, the bureau said.

A Reuters witness said the quake shook buildings in Taipei. No other details were immediately available.

The Central Weather Bureau said the epicenter of the temblor was 104km east of Hualien County Hall and was measured at a shallow depth of 31km. The earthquake also lasted for 18 seconds.

According to a report by Taiwan News, tremors with an intensity level of 3 were also felt in Yilan County, New Taipei City and Taichung City.

Taiwan uses an intensity scale of 1 to 7, which gauges the degree to which a quake is felt in a specific location. The higher the number, the more intense the tremors.

The report added that an intensity level of 2 was felt across much of Taiwan.

Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is prone to earthquakes.

In February, Hualien was hit by a 6.4-magnitude earthquake that killed 17 people. 

The quake caused several buildings to partially collapse, including the local landmark Marshal Hotel.

Taiwan's worst tremor in recent decades was a 7.6-magnitude quake in September 1999 that killed around 2,400 people.

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