An earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale rattled south Taiwan on Thursday, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, officials said, Reuters reported.
The epicentre of the quake, which struck at 12:53 a.m. (1653 GMT) was about 37 km (23 miles) west of Hengchun on the island's southern peninsula, at a depth of 62 km, the Central Weather Bureau said in a statement.
Earthquakes occur frequently in Taiwan, which lies on a seismically active stretch of the Pacific basin.
One of Taiwan's worst-recorded quakes occurred in September 1999. Measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale, it killed more than 2,400 people and destroyed or damaged 50,000 buildings.