A magnitude 5.6 earthquake shook waters near Yilan County on the night of May 1 at around 8:39 pm local time, according to preliminary data from the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), with several international monitoring agencies later independently confirming the same seismic event.
Initial reports placed the quake at an intermediate depth of about 91.8 kilometers, a factor that may have helped reduce surface shaking despite its moderate strength. Seismologists noted that key parameters such as magnitude, depth, and exact epicenter could still be refined as additional seismic readings are analyzed in the hours following the event.
The tremor was also recorded by the citizen science network RaspberryShake, which matched the 5.6 magnitude reading, while the GFZ Helmholtz-Zentrum für Geoforschung or the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) issued a similar report, reinforcing early assessments of the quake’s intensity and location.
However, the Central Weather Administration of Taiwan recorded the tremor at Magnitude 6.1, with the epicenter at 38.7 kilometers northeast of Yilan County Hall under the ocean with a depth of 98.3 km.
There are no immediate reports of damage or casualties as of this time. Authorities and monitoring agencies continue to review incoming data as part of standard post-event verification procedures.