Earthquake hits Phang Nga

Although Thailand doesn’t experience catastrophic earthquakes like those that have hit Turkey and Syria, there are occasional tremours in the region.

Yesterday afternoon, the southern province of Phang Nga was rocked by a 3.7 magnitude earthquake, following two others around the country in the wee hours.

The earthquake shook the Thana subdistrict in Kapong district, Phang Nga province. The trembler was reported by the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) at 2.43pm.

The Meteorological Department confirmed the earthquake and stated that it occurred near the Khlong Marui Fault Zone. The tremors were felt in the Kapong and Takua Pa sub-districts in Phang Nga with no damage reported. CCTV footage was posted online showing a very brief and fairly inconsequential shake in a covered area outside.

The Earthquake Observation Division measured at a depth of four kilometres, The tremors were felt by the residents in the region. It was actually the third earthquake to hit Thailand yesterday after two early morning shakes.

Earlier in the day, at 3.10am, a 2.2-magnitude earthquake hit the Tha Champi subdistrict in the Mueang district in northern Phayao Province. Then, an hour and a half later, a 3.1-magnitude quake struck the Myanmar-China border area at 4.45am.

The DDPM is closely monitoring the situation and will provide any important updates that come to the public.

The Thai quakes are of a much lower magnitude than the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Turkey last week with exponentially more power. The devastation has been widespread and the death toll has climbed into the tens of thousands.

Residents of Chiang Mai province in northern Thailand experienced a bit stronger earthquake last October. They were awoken at 4.26am by a 4.2 magnitude quake. No injuries or deaths were been reported in that quake, which lasted about three seconds with no aftershocks felt.