A 5.5-magnitude undersea earthquake struck Taiwan Wednesday and shook buildings in the capital, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

The quake struck at 3:54 pm (0754 GMT) with its epicentre 87.5 kilometres (54 miles) southeast of the northeastern city of Yilan at a depth of 83.1 kilometres, the central weather bureau said.

Residents on many parts of the island felt tremors, it said.

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

A strong 6.3-magnitude quake which hit central Taiwan in June last year killed four people and caused widespread landslides.

A 7.6-magnitude quake struck the island in September 1999 and killed around 2,400 people.

Small earthquake shakes area south of Los Angeles
Los Angeles (AFP) Dec 31, 2014 - A magnitude-3.9 earthquake shook an area south of Los Angeles on Tuesday, authorities said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

The small quake hit at 3:26 pm (2326 GMT) about 16 kilometers (10 miles) south of San Pedro, at a depth of 1.1 kilometers (0.7 miles), according to the US Geological Survey.

"Felt much stronger than a 3.9," Chris DuRee, who was near downtown Long Beach, told KTLA television.

"Rattled softly and then a few strong rolls. No damage anywhere."