A 5.0-magnitude earthquake struck northeastern Taiwan on Wednesday, briefly rattling buildings in the capital, Taipei, but causing no immediate injuries or damage, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
The quake occurred at a depth of nearly 70 kilometers in Yilan County, located east of Taipei. “I felt the building shaking briefly when the quake hit,” an official at the Yilan Fire Bureau told AFP. Local authorities and the National Fire Agency later confirmed there were no reports of casualties or structural damage.
As a precaution, Taipei’s metro system temporarily reduced train speeds, but all rail services, including high-speed trains, continued operating without disruption.
Taiwan sits along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region known for frequent seismic activity. The island’s most powerful recent quake occurred in April 2024—a 7.4-magnitude tremor that killed at least 17 people and caused extensive damage in Hualien. It was Taiwan’s strongest earthquake in 25 years.
