6.1-magnitude quake rattles Taiwan

[NBCNews]

  By ReutersAn earthquake with a magnitude of at least 6.1 shook Taiwan on  Wednesday, official agencies said, but there were no immediate reports  of casualties or damage.

The U.S. Geological Survey registered  the quake with a magnitude of 6.3. The epicenter of the quake was near  central Taiwan at a depth of about 9 miles, said Taiwan's  Central Weather Bureau, which uses the Richter scale.

Earthquakes  occur frequently in Taiwan, which lies on a seismically active stretch  of the Pacific basin. In September 1999, a 7.6 quake killed more than  2,400 people and destroyed or damaged 50,000 buildings.

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