Taiwan Earthquake

Taiwan Earthquake, TAIPEI : A 6.4 magnitude quake struck southern Taiwan on Thursday, causing panic among residents in the island’s second largest city who rushed into the streets as buildings shook.

The quake hit about 70 kilometres (about 40 miles) from the main southern city of Kaohsiung, the US Geological Survey said, and it was felt as far away as the capital Taipei in the north of the island.

It was the worst earthquake to hit the Kaohsiung area since records began, the TVBS news network reported.

No tsunami warning was immediately issued and the extent of the damage was not immediately clear.

Residents of Kaohsiung rushed out into the streets as buildings started shaking, and were reluctant to re-enter, according to local television.

Services on the Kaohsiung subway were halted, as were trains on the high-speed rail connecting the north and the south of the island, the television reports said.

The epicentre of the quake was in Jiahsian township in Kaohsiung county, one of the worst hit areas in Typhoon Morakot that struck southern Taiwan in August last year, killing more than 700 people.

Taiwan is regularly hit by earthquakes as the island lies near the junction of two tectonic plates. A 7.6-magnitude quake killed around 2,400 people in September 1999.