6.4 mag quake strikes southeast Taiwan, topples objects

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A 6.4 magnitude earthquake has struck southeastern Taiwan on Saturday evening and local media reported objects falling from store shelves but no immediate word on casualties. Taiwan’s Central News Agency said the metro system in Kaoshiung city in the south of the island was temporarily suspended. The quake was also felt in the capital, Taipei. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake’s initial magnitude at 6.6. It said it occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers or 6.2 miles. The epicenter was in Taitung County, a rice-growing area of flat terrain with a population of about 8,500.