Taiwan hit by 80 earthquakes, strongest of 6.3 magnitude; no casualties reported so far

Over 80 earthquakes, the strongest of 6.3 magnitude, hit Taiwan's east coast, shaking buildings in the capital Taipei, the island's weather administration said.

The quakes were centred on the largely rural eastern county of Hualien, where on April 3 at least 14 people died after a 7.2 magnitude quake.

It was the strongest earthquake in the past 25 years in Taiwan and was followed by hundreds of aftershocks.

According to the USGS, Tuesday's quake of 6.1 magnitude had its epicenter 28 kilometers (17.5 miles) south of the city of Hualien, at a dept of 10.7 kilometers. The half-dozen other quakes ranged from magnitude 4.5 to magnitude 6, all near Hualien.

Taiwan is no stranger to powerful earthquakes yet their toll on the high-tech island’s 23 million residents has been relatively contained thanks to its excellent earthquake preparedness, experts say. The island also has strict construction standards and widespread public education campaigns about earthquakes.

In 1999, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake in Taiwan killed 2,400 people.