Quake measuring 6.5 hakes Taiwan

An earthquake with a magnitude of at least 6.1 shook Taiwan on Wednesday, official agencies said, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, Reuters reported.

The U.S. Geological Survey registered the quake with a magnitude of 6.3. The epicenter of the quake was near central Taiwan at a depth of about 15 km (9 miles), said Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau, which uses the Richter scale.

Earthquakes occur frequently in Taiwan, which lies on a seismically active stretch of the Pacific basin. In September 1999, a 7.6 quake killed more than 2,400 people and destroyed or damaged 50,000 buildings.