Magnitude 5.2 quake in Taitung Monday an 'independent event': CWA

Taipei, Jan. 27 (CNA) The magnitude 5.2 earthquake that rocked eastern and southern Taiwan Monday morning was independent from the series of quakes that have continued to shake southern Taiwan over the past week, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

The temblor occurred at 8:18 a.m., with its epicenter 10.2 kilometers west of Taitung County Hall in southeastern Taiwan, at a depth of 6.5 km, classifying it as a very shallow earthquake, according to CWA data.

There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake.

The earthquake's intensity, gauging the actual effect of a quake, was highest in Taitung and Pingtung counties, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale.

The earthquake was generally felt in areas south of Taichung, Chao Hsiao-ling (趙曉玲), an official at the CWA Seismological Center, said at a Monday news briefing.

Chao said that aftershocks from the magnitude 6.4 earthquake that hit Dapu in Chiayi County on Jan. 21 have been gradually decreasing, but large-scale temblors may still occur over the next two weeks.

As of 8:37 a.m. Monday, there have been a total of 118 aftershocks to the Dapu quake, with 33 being "remarkable earthquakes," meaning they were felt over a radius of 300 km, Chao said.