One more earthquake hits Kon Tum on August 3

An official in Đắk Tăng Commune, Kon Plông District, guide local people on how to respond to earthquakes. — VNA/VNS Photo Cao Nguyên

HÀ NỘI — Another earthquake of 3.8 magnitude hit District, the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum, on Saturday, according to the Institute of Geophysics.

It occurred at 12:44pm at a depth of about 8.1km, with no disaster risk.

Earthquakes have been recorded frequently in Kon Plông since 2021. Recently, the area was hit by a 5.0 magnitude earthquake on July 28 with its disaster risk categorised as Level 2 – the strongest ever recorded in this area.

The quake caused some damage to public buildings and residential homes. Residents in the Central Highlands and central Việt Nam felt the tremors and shaking.

The locality experienced a total of 21 earthquakes on July 28, followed by an additional 11 tremors between midnight and 7am on July 29, raising concerns about unusual seismic activity in the region.

Nguyễn Xuân Anh, Director of the Institute of Geophysics, stated that earthquakes are forecast to continue hitting Kon Tum Province in the near future, but are unlikely to be stronger than 5.5 degrees. Local authorities and competent agencies need to conduct damage assessments, review and evaluate weak structures at risk of being affected by earthquakes for solutions.

Between 1903 and 2020, Kon Plông District recorded about 33 earthquakes with magnitudes of 2.5 or higher. From 2021 to August 2022, the area experienced nearly 200 new earthquakes. — VNS