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

Bottles are scattered on the floor on the scene of the earthquake in Nantou county of Taiwan on Wednesday. [Photo/CFP]

A 72-year-old woman died and at least 19 people were injured, according to the latest tally from local firefighters.

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

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 pm, with more than 30,000 passengers affected by delayed trains.

The Taiwan High-Speed Rail Corp. said the quake affected 11 trains, with six forced to stop completely.

According to Kuo Kai-wen, director of the local earthquake monitoring center, 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.