An earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale jolted southern Taiwan early Wednesday morning, according to China's Seismological Forecast Network.

The quake hit Taiwan's Tainan and Kaohsiung at 01:31 a.m. (Beijing Time). The epicenter was initially determined to be 23.2 degrees north latitude and 120.7 degrees east longitude, about 50 km from Tainan and 70 km from Kaohsiung.

There are no immediate reports of casualties or damages.

(Xinhua News Agency, March 5, 2008)