TAIPEI - A MODERATE 5.1-magnitude quake hit just off the eastern coast of Taiwan early on Sunday, seismologists said.

The tremor hit at 6.04 am, 105 kilometres south of the capital Taipei and at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres, the US Geological Survey said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

Taiwan, which lies near the junction of two tectonic plates, is regularly shaken by earthquakes. A 7.6-magnitude quake killed about 2,400 people in September 1999. -- AFP