Magnitude 5.3 earthquake jolts Tainan in southern Taiwan

Taipei, Jan. 24 (CNA) A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Tainan at 7:18 p.m. Friday, another aftershock following the magnitude 6.4 quake in southern Taiwan that occurred early in the morning on Jan. 21, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

The epicenter of Friday's temblor was located 40 kilometers east-northeast of Tainan County Hall, in Nanxi District, and the earthquake occurred at a depth of 11.7 km, CWA data showed.

The intensity of the quake, gauging the actual effect of a seismic event, was highest in Tainan, Kaohsiung, Chiayi County, Chiayi City, and Yunlin County, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale.

An intensity of 4 indicates that people are startled and even potentially frightened by the shaking, and buildings shake but are generally unaffected.

It also measured a 3 in Taichung and Nantou and Changhua counties, according to CWA data.

The magnitude 5.3 earthquake was one of five aftershocks that occurred Friday in the same area as the Jan. 21 quake from 1 a.m. to 7:28 p.m. The other five ranged from magnitude 3.4 to 4.1.