Quake shakes northern Phuket, Phang Nga

MAI KHAW: Northern Phuket and southwestern Phang Nga experienced three minor earth tremors last night. No serious damage was reported. The tremors, felt at 11:36 pm, 11:38 pm and 1:59 am, shook homes between Phuket International Airport and Khok Kloy in Phang Nga. Amorn Chantanavivate, director of the Southwestern Meteorological Center, told the Gazette that the three shocks were caused by a quake centered in the Andaman Sea about 10 kilometers from Phuket Airport. The quake was a minor one, registering only 2.1 on the Richter scale. “Some people living in villages around Mai Khaw called me today to ask about the quake,” Khun Amorn added. “They said they felt some shaking for one or two minutes, and some things fell off shelves. But there was not much damage.” Suthara Huangsuwan, manager of Phuket International Airport, said that he had received a report from the duty officer that the quake had been felt in the terminal building, but that operations were not affected. The last time Phuket experienced tremors was in August 1997 when there were minor shocks from a serious quake in Sumatra, Indonesia.