6.2 magnitude earthquake strikes Taiwan's east coast

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck the Yilan City in Taiwan on Thursday, the US Geological Survey said.

There were no immediate reports of any injuries or damage.

The depth of the earthquake, which hit the island's east coast, was 74 kilometres at 9:19 pm local time (1319 GMT), according to the USGS as reported by news agency AFP.

However, the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences said the depth of the quake was 67 kms, as reported by news agency Reuters. 

Taipei residents said that buildings were shaking as the shock was felt across the island region. 

"My building shook violently and I took my son and fled our home. It's deathly terrifying," said one person from Taipei on social media. 

"It's shaking so powerfully for so long in New Taipei City," wrote one Facebook user. 

"I thought my house was going to collapse and I was wrecked. Thankfully there's no damage." 

Chen Kuo-chang, head of the Central Weather Bureau's Seismological Center, said the quake was the biggest in 2020. 

"The earthquake was felt all over Taiwan," Chen said, as quoted by news agency AFP as saying. 

Vice President William Lai urged people to maintain calm and said that the government was monitoring the situation in a post on Facebook.