TAIPEI - A MODERATE quake struck southern Taiwan early on Tuesday, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The shallow quake struck at 8.04am around 50 kilometres northeast of the southern city of Kaohsiung, the US Geological Survey reported.

Taiwan's Seismology Centre put the magnitude of the quake at 5.6, with the temblor originating at a depth of 10.8 kilometres. The US Geological Survey had earlier put the size of the quake at 5.4.

The quake, which could not be felt in the capital Taiwan, did not cause any casualties or damage, the National Fire Agency said.

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 there in September 1999. -- AFP