The tremor, which was felt across the south of the island, struck at 0:03 am (1603 GMT Sunday), 46 kilometres (29 miles) east of the Chiayi city, at a depth of six kilometres, the centre said.

Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is regularly hit by earthquakes.

A 5.9-magnitude quake in February sent people rushing onto the streets of the island's second-largest city of Kaohsiung and led to a temporary suspension of rail services, but no major damage was reported.

In September 1999, a 7.6-magnitude tremor killed around 2,400 people in the deadliest natural disaster in the island's recent history.