TAIPEI, Nov 5 (Reuters) - A 5.7 magnitude earthquake rattled much of Taiwan on Thursday, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, officials said.

The epicentre of the quake, which struck at 5:32 p.m. (0932 GMT) was in Nantou County of central Taiwan, the Central Weather Bureau said in a statement.

Earthquakes occur frequently in Taiwan, which lies on a seismically active stretch of the Pacific basin.

One of Taiwan's worst-recorded quakes occurred in September 1999. Measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale, it killed more than 2,400 people and destroyed or damaged 50,000 buildings.

(Reporting by Ralph Jennings; Editing by Sugita Katyal)

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