Series of earthquakes rattle Taiwan, centred on east coast

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More than a dozen earthquakes, the strongest of 5.7 magnitude, struck Taiwan's east coast on Monday and some caused brief shaking in the capital Taipei, the island's weather administration said, with no immediate reports of damage.

The quakes were centred on the largely rural eastern county of Hualien, where earlier this month at least 14 people died after a 7.2 magnitude temblor.

Taiwan has been jolted by hundreds of aftershocks since then.

Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is prone to earthquakes.

More than 100 people were killed in a quake in southern Taiwan in 2016, while a 7.3 magnitude quake killed more than 2,000 people in 1999.

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