Strong earthquake strikes Taiwan near east coast city of Hualien, agencies say

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TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan was struck by an earthquake about 71 kilometers (44.1 miles) south of Hualien City, monitoring agencies said.

The quake hit seconds after cell phone alarms went off at 7:01 p.m. Wednesday.

The United States Geological Survey reported the quake had a magnitude of 5.9 and was detected at a depth of 31.1 kilometers (19.3 miles). Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration gave the magnitude as 6.4. Such variations are common given differences in sensitivity and detector locations.

Buildings in Taipei shook for about a minute. There were no immediate reports of major damage.

Hualien, located 154 kilometers (95.6 miles) south of the capital Taipei, is relatively thinly populated compared to the highly congested western side of the island of 23 million people, which is frequently struck by quakes.

Taiwan lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a line of seismic faults encircling the Pacific Ocean from Chile to New Zealand where most of the world’s earthquakes occur.

Taiwan’s worst modern quake, a magnitude 7.7 temblor that killed 2,415 people and damaged buildings in 1999, led to tightened building codes, better response times and coordination and widespread public education campaigns on earthquake safety. Schools and workplaces hold earthquake drills, while cellphones buzz whenever a strong earthquake is detected.

Earthquake damage since then has been significantly reduced.

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A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the earthquake occurred Tuesday evening.