Earthquake today: Buildings shake, shelves collapse as 6.0-magnitude quake hits Taiwan's Taipei, impact caught on camera

The US Geological Survey said a shallow earthquake of 6.0-magnitude struck southeastern Taiwan on Wednesday evening.

The quake occurred at 5:47 PM local time (0947 GMT) at a depth of 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) in Taitung county, the geological agency said. It was felt farther north in the national capital Taipei, where some buildings shook.

Shallow earthquakes are generally more dangerous than deep earthquakes. This is because the seismic waves from shallow earthquakes have a shorter distance to travel to the surface, resulting in stronger ground shaking and potentially more damage to structures and greater casualties.

Earlier, Taiwan's Central Weather Administration estimated the magnitude of the quake at 6.1.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualty.

No damage to the transport networks has been reported yet, according to the National Fire Agency.

Taiwan is frequently hit by earthquakes due to its location on the edge of two tectonic plates near the Pacific Ring of Fire, which the USGS says is the most seismically active zone in the world.

Chipmaker TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) said the quake did not reach the required ​level ⁠for evacuation of factories across the island, ⁠which lies near the junction ‌of two tectonic plates and is prone to earthquakes.

Local television channels showed footage of products falling from supermarket shelves and shattering in Taitung.

In April 2024, the island nation was struck by a major earthquake of deadly 7.4-magnitude. It was the strongest in 25 years. At least 17 people had died in that quake.

Before this, the deadliest quake in Taiwan’s history measuring 7.6-magnitude had occurred in 1999.

3.5 Magnitude Earthquake strikes Tibet

An earthquake of magnitude 3.5 stuck Tibet on December 21, as reported by the National Center for Seismology (NCS).

In a social media post on X, the NCS said that the earthquake occurred at a depth of 10 kilometres at 20:29 IST.

"EQ of M: 3.5, On: 21/12/2025 20:29:27 IST, Lat: 28.51 N, Long: 87.57 E, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Tibet."

Earlier on December 5, an earthquake of magnitude 3.0 struck Tibet. It occurred at a depth of 60 km.

In the X post, the NCS said: "EQ of M: 3.0, On: 05/12/2025 20:49:07 IST, Lat: 27.97 N, Long: 88.14 E, Depth: 60 Km, Location: Tibet."

The Tibetan Plateau is known for its seismic activity due to tectonic plate collisions.

Tibet and Nepal lie on a major geological fault line where the Indian tectonic plate pushes up into the Eurasian plate, and earthquakes are a regular occurrence as a result of it. The region is seismically active due to tectonic uplift that can become sufficiently strong to alter the elevations of the Himalayan peaks.