Taiwan's east coast hit by 5.3 magnitude earthquake

TAIPEI (Reuters) - A 5.3 magnitude earthquake struck Taiwan's east coast on Tuesday, the island's weather bureau said, causing buildings in the capital Taipei to shake briefly but with no immediate reports of damage.

The epicentre of the earthquake was in the sparsely populated eastern county of Hualien with a depth of 7.2 km (4.5 miles), the weather bureau said.

Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is prone to earthquakes.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)