6.5-magnitude quake hits Taiwan: CENC Updated: 2013-03-27 10:50 (Xinhua)

BEIJING - A 6.5-magnitude earthquake jolted Nantou County, Taiwan, at 10:03 a.m. Wednesday (Beijing Time), according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.

The epicenter, with a depth of 8 km, was monitored at about 24.0 degrees north latitude and 121.0 degrees east longitude, the center said in a statement.

An earthquake monitoring center of the local meteorological authority in Taiwan put the quake at 6.1 magnitude.

Bottles are scattered on the floor on the scene of the earthquake in Nantou county of Taiwan on Wednesday. [Photo/CFP]

Residents in Taipei felt a strong tremor, and the quake was also felt across the island and around the Penghu Islands.

According to local TV reports, many people in Nantou were injured by falling ceilings and objects.

Services on Taiwan's rail networks were temporarily suspended after the quake for safety checks. By 10:45 a.m., inspectors had found no damage on the railway network in the quake-affected area.

As of 11:30 a.m., high speed train services scheduled to depart from Taichung Station remained suspended.

A local railway official said the trains would run at lower speeds after operations resume.

Metro trains in Taipei slowed down after the tremor and restored normal operations 10 minutes later.

According to Kuo Kai-wen, director of the local earthquake monitoring center, Wednesday's quake appeared to be an aftershock of a 7.6-magnitude quake that hit the island on September 21, 1999, leaving more than 2,600 people dead.

Guo said the island is hit by an average of 2.7 quakes measuring 6 magnitude or above annually.