An earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale hit the sea off the coast of Hualien County in Taiwan at 11:52 p.m. Beijing Time Tuesday, according to the seismic monitoring center of the island's weather bureau.

The epicenter was monitored at the sea about 20.3 kilometers to the southeast of Hualien's administrative headquarters, with a depth of about 34.2 kilometers, the center said.

In addition to Hualien, the quake was also felt in neighboring areas including Nantou, Ilan counties, as well as Taichung city on the island.

The United States Geological Survey also monitored the quake, but set the magnitude of the quake at 5, and located the epicenter at 23.8959 degrees north latitude and 121.7361 degrees east longitude, with the depth of 42.5 kilometers.