A 6.1-magnitude earthquake hit Nantou County at 10:03 a.m., followed by at least five aftershocks, the Taiwanese meteorological bureau's earthquake monitoring center said.

　　The China Earthquake Networks Center said the quake had a magnitude of 6.5.

　　A 72-year-old woman died and at least 86 people were injured, according to the latest tally from local firefighters.

　　Yang Yi, spokesman for the mainland-based Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, expressed deep concern for those who suffered from the quake, adding that he hopes those who were affected will be able to return to normalcy as soon as possible.

　　Taiwan's leader Ma Ying-jeou on Wednesday urged relevant agencies to keep up their guard, as a stronger aftershock may occur.

　　Preliminary estimates indicate that Taiwanese insurers may have to pay 3 to 4 million New Taiwan dollars (at least 100,197 U.S. dollars) in residential earthquake insurance claims, according to local media reports.

　　The earthquake shook buildings in the city of Taipei and resulted in the temporary suspension of the island's railways. The railways resumed service around 2:30 p.m., with more than 30,000 passengers affected by delayed trains.

　　The Taiwan High-Speed Rail Corp. said the quake affected 11 trains, with six halted due to schedule re-arrangement.

　　Kuo Kai-wen, director of the local earthquake monitoring center, said Wednesday's quake may be an aftershock from a 7.6-magnitude quake that hit the island on Sept. 21, 1999, leaving more than 2,600 people dead.

　　Kuo said the island is hit by an average of 2.7 quakes with a magnitude of 6 or above annually.