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Moderate earthquake strikes northern Taiwan

By the CNN Wire Staff
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • The epicenter is about 45 miles southeast of Taipei
  • No casualties have been reported so far

(CNN) -- A 5.0 earthquake struck northern Taiwan Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The epicenter of the quake, which struck at 4:45 p.m. (4:45 a.m. ET), was located about 45 miles southeast of Taipei, the USGS said.

No casualties have been reported.

No information on damage was immediately available.

Earthquakes are far from uncommon on the nearly 14,000-square-mile island -- about the size of the U.S. states of Maryland and Delaware combined -- which sits across the juncture of the Eurasian and Philippine tectonic plates.

The largest recorded quake to strike Taiwan was an 8.0-magnitude quake in 1920, but the worst earthquake disaster stemmed from a 7.1-magnitude quake in 1935 that killed more than 3,200 people -- followed by a 6.5-magnitude quake that killed more than 2,700 people three months later.

More recently, a 7.6-magnitude earthquake killed more than 2,400 people in 1999.