Taiwan’s capital was hit by a series of earthquakes overnight into the early hours of Tuesday, with the Central Weather Administration saying the strongest was a magnitude-6.3 tremor originating in eastern Hualien.

The first strong quake - a magnitude 5.5 - hit on Monday at around 5:08pm (0908 GMT), according to Central Weather Administration. It could be felt in the capital Taipei.

That was followed by a series of aftershocks and quakes, with two intense tremors hitting one after another around 2:30am (1830 GMT) Tuesday, according to AFP reporters and witnesses in Taipei. The Central Weather Administration said a magnitude-6.0 quake had hit at 2:26am, followed 6 minutes later by a magnitude-6.3 one. The US Geological Survey put the 1st one at a magnitude-6.1, followed by a magnitude-6.0.

Through Monday, AFP reporters could feel their buildings swaying during intense quakes, while one said “glass panels of bathroom and windows were making noises” as the island shuddered.

The Hualien region was the epicentre of a magnitude-7.4 quake that hit on April 3, causing landslides that blocked off roads around the mountainous region, while buildings in the main Hualien city were badly damaged. At least 17 were killed in that quake, with the latest body found in a quarry on April 13.