Taiwan officials said the numerous earthquakes that rocked the island overnight and into Tuesday caused buildings to sway.

The tremors were believed to be aftershocks of a massive, deadly quake that struck the island more than two weeks ago.

The most recent earthquake, which the US Geological Survey estimated to have had a magnitude of 6.1, occurred at approximately 2:30 am and was followed a few minutes later by a 6.0 earthquake. Taipei's Central Weather Administration placed them at 6.0 and 6.3. 

Large parts of northern, eastern, and western Taiwan experienced nighttime shaking of structures due to the seismic activity centered in Hualien on the country's east coast. 

Office worker Kevin Lin, who lives in Taipei capital, told the AFP news agency that the earthquake woke him up. 

"I was too scared to move and stayed in bed," the 53-year-old said. As commuters headed to work at around 8 am, a 5.8-magnitude earthquake rocked the nation's capital. 

The mountainous county of Hualien, about 150km (93 miles) from Taipei, was the epicenter of a magnitude 7.2 earthquake that rocked the island on April 3.

The earthquake severely destroyed structures in Hualien City and caused landslides in the surrounding countryside. 

There have been over 1,100 aftershocks, and at least 14 people were killed. 

Taiwan's Central Seismological Center Director Wu Chien-fu told reporters that future quakes, possibly not as strong, were likely because of the "concentrated release of energy" that the country had just experienced. 

Furthermore, the Hualien authorities declared on Tuesday that schools and offices would be closed due to the ongoing aftershocks. 

Further damage was done to partially collapsed structures after the April 3 earthquake, including the Full Hotel and the nearby Tong Shuai Building. Both had already been designated for demolition and were unoccupied.