Phuket struck twice by earthquakes

PHUKET: Phuket was struck by a 4.3-magnitude earthquake with an epicenter believed to be in the center of the island just minutes before another quake struck off Sumatra this afternoon.

San Jantharawong, chief of the Phuket office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM-Phuket) said his officers were now working on locating the exact center of the first quake, which he believes was the short audible “boom” that residents experienced throughout Phuket.

“The epicenter of the first quake was at Srisoonthorn, in Thalang. It was detected 10 kilometers deep and occurred at around 4:44 pm. After that, at 4:46pm, another quake of 5.4 magnitude was detected under the ocean off Sumatra,” said Mr San.

“The first quake was felt all over Phuket island since the epicenter was right here in Phuket,” he added.

“I have heard from the Srisoonthorn Mayor that some local people’s houses in Srisoonthorn were damaged, so I sent my team out to check on damage in that area,” he said.

— Chaiyot Yongcharoenchai