Magnitude 5.4 quake shakes northeastern Taiwan: USGS

A 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit northeastern Taiwan on Thursday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said, with the tremor shaking buildings in Taipei but causing no major damage.

Taiwan's Central Weather Administration (CWA) put the magnitude of the quake, which hit just after 5 pm (0900 GMT), at 5.7.

According to the USGS, it hit at a shallow depth of 11 kilometres (7 miles) in the sea about 44 kilometres (27 miles) southeast of Yilan county.

"The building was swaying," an AFP reporter in the capital said.

The CWA also issued mobile phone alerts warning people to "keep calm and seek cover nearby".

Taiwan was hit by a deadly 7.4 magnitude quake in April, the strongest the island had experienced in 25 years.

At least 17 people were killed in the April quake, which triggered landslides and severely damaged buildings around the epicentre in Hualien city.