TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck off Taiwan's eastern coast on Thursday followed by multiple lighter aftershocks, the island's weather bureau said, with shaking felt in the capital Taipei.

The quake hit just after midday about 30 kilometers off the coast of Hualien County at a shallow depth of six kilometers.

The United States Geological Survey reported a lower 5.9-magnitude reading and a depth of 12 kilometers.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

"The earthquake was felt all over Taiwan because it's very shallow," Chen Kuo-chang, head of the weather bureau's seismological center, told reporters.

"There have been eight aftershocks so far and we expect more aftershocks in the next three days."

An AFP reporter in Taipei said the shaking in the capital felt less intense than previous earthquakes this year.

Taiwan's subway and railway authorities both said trains were running at reduced speed but services had not been halted.