Earthquake hits Taiwan, Chile and Tonga

An earthquake of magnitude 4.6 struck off Taiwan’s sparsely populated eastern coast on Sunday, the island’s weather bureau said, but was barely felt on the land.

The earthquake’s epicentre was in the sea off Taiwan’s Taitung county, at a depth of 16.5 km (10.3 miles), the weather bureau said.

It reported only minor shaking in the county, a largely rural area. The quake was not felt in the capital Taipei.

Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is prone to earthquakes.

Another earthquake of magnitude 5.8 struck off of Chile’s Bio-Bio region on Sunday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre said. 

The quake was 19 km (12 miles) below the Earth’s surface, it said.

Another earthquake with a magnitude of 5.7 jolted Tonga Islands at 2344 GMT on Saturday, the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences said.

The epicenter, with a depth of 10.0 km, was initially determined to be at 20.39 degrees south latitude and 173.38 degrees west longitude.

(with inputs from agencies)