Taipei: A 6.1 magnitude undersea earthquake struck off eastern Taiwan on Sunday, the island's Seismology Centre said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The quake hit at 1231 GMT about 22 kilometres southeast of the eastern city of Hualien city and had a depth of 41 kilometres, the Centre said. No tsunami warning was issued.

The US Geological Survey put the quake's magnitude at 5.7. It said the epicentre was 50 kilometres deep.