The tremor followed Wednesday's 6.6-Richter scale quake, the most powerful to have hit the island this year but left minor damage and injuries in southern Taiwan.

The 5.7-magnitude aftershock, striking at 8:01 am (0001 GMT), was the strongest among more than 700, the seismologists said.

It originated from an epicenter 28.6 kilometers (17.7 miles) east of the soutneastern Taitung city, 12.6 kilometers below sea level.

Taiwan, lying near the junction of two tectonic plates, is prone to earthquakes. Statistics show that an average 3.7 tremors with the magnitude of 6.0 and over occurred annually in the past 10 years.

The island suffered its worst quake in a century when a tremor measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale struck central Taiwan on September 21, 1999 leaving 2,400 people dead.

TERRA.WIRE