TAIPEI - A 6.7 magnitude earthquake jolted a sea area near Hualien county in Taiwan at 1:01 pm Thursday, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).

The quake lasted for about 10 seconds and lamps shook sharply inside buildings in Taipei. Many people screamed when the strongest earthquake this year rocked Taiwan.

TV footage showed the earthquake smashed glass in buildings in Hualien, where the earthquake's highest intensity on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale was felt.

The epicenter was monitored at 24.02 degrees north latitude and 121.65 degrees east longitude, at a depth of 24 km, the center said.

No immediate casualties were reported.