The undersea quake hit at 1653 GMT, with an epicentre 70 kilometres south-southeast of the southern city of Kaohsiung at a depth of 1.7 kilometres.
Taiwan is regularly hit by earthquakes as the island lies near the junction of two tectonic plates. A 7.6-magnitude quake killed around 2,400 people in September 1999.
Published 30 July 2009, 04:15 IST