The first earthquake, measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale, hit at 3:13 am (1913 GMT Wednesday) with an epicenter 19.8 kilometers (32 miles) northwest of Peinan in the southeastern Taitung city, the Central Weather Bureau said.

It originated 10 kilometers underground, it added.

A second earthquake with a magnitude of 4.2 followed at 3:34 am, with an epicenter 19.9 kilometers southwest of Litao in Taitung, 4.8 kilometers under the ground.

Taiwan, lying near the junction of two tectonic plates, is prone to earthquakes.

A powerful quake with a magnitude of 6.6 shook Taiwan on December 10 last year but left only minor damage and injuries in some southern cities.

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

TERRA.WIRE