Vietnam district shaken 12 times in hours

The first, at 2:08 p.m. on Tuesday, had a magnitude of 4.7 on the Richter scale, making it the strongest earthquake to ever hit Kon Tum, causing tremors in neighboring provinces of Gia Lai, Quang Ngai, Quang Nam, and Da Nang.

The next 11 quakes had a magnitude of 2.5-2.9. The latest was recorded at 1:21 a.m. on Wednesday.

Altogether, the 12 events caused the tiled roof of a household in Kon Plong’s Dak Ring Commune to collapse. No human fatality has been reported.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Tuesday requested Kon Tum and Quang Nam provinces to closely follow the situation and make specific assessments of quake damage.

The Ministry of Science and Technology has been ordered to work with Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology to determine the cause of the quake series, estimate the risk levels and propose response solutions.

This is not the first time Kon Plong had recorded consecutive earthquakes.

In April, the province saw 14 quakes within three days, with the strongest having a magnitude of 4.5.

According to prior assessments, earthquakes in Kon Plong have been caused by water reservoirs.

When hydroelectric plants operate, they increase the stress causing pressure on the ground, leading to the occurrence of landslides that cause the quakes, it was said.

Nguyen Xuan Anh, head of the Institute for Geophysics in Hanoi, in April concurred that quakes in Kon Tum in the past were related to the water reservoirs.