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Global

5.9 quake rattles Taiwan, no reports of damage


    TAIPEI (Reuters) - An earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale rattled south Taiwan Thursday, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, officials said.

    The epicentre of the quake, which struck at 12:53 a.m. (5:53 p.m. British time) 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.

    (Reporting by Ralph Jennings; Editing by Jon Boyle)