Hualien: A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 6:53 p.m. on Monday, marking the second quake above magnitude 5 to hit the area within an hour, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). There were no immediate reports of damage following the quake.

According to Focus Taiwan, the epicenter of the latest temblor was located 33.7 kilometers east-southeast of the Hualien County government building at a depth of 6.6 kilometers, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale in parts of Hualien County, the CWA reported. The quake also registered an intensity of 3 in Yilan, Nantou, Yunlin, and Changhua counties, as well as Taichung.

Before the perceptible earthquake that was also felt in Taipei, six quakes had been recorded in the waters off Hualien since 6 p.m., including a magnitude 5.5 temblor at 6:09 p.m., according to data from the weather agency.