Taipei, Jan. 4 (CNA) An earthquake measuring 5.1 on the open-ended Richter scale struck eastern Taiwan at 11:29 a.m. Friday, the Central Weather Bureau reported that day.

The earthquake's epicenter was located at sea about 78.6 kilometers east of Hualien County Hall at a depth of 6.9 km, the bureau said.

The strongest tremor, with an intensity of 2, was recorded in Nanao Township in Yilan County.

The temblor was the latest in a series of earthquakes that had hit Hualien since late the previous day, with previous ones posing magnitudes of 4.2, 4.1 and 4.5, respectively.

(By Lee Hsin-Yin)
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