HCMC – Kon Plong District in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum was shaken this afternoon, April 18, by a 4.5-magnitude earthquake, according to the Institute of Geophysics.
The tremor was reported at 12:54 p.m., at a depth of around 8.1 kilometers.
Since April 15, tens of mild tremors below 3.5 magnitude have been felt in parts of Kon Plong.
Besides a 4.1-magnitude quake that took place at 8:47 p.m. on April 15, this is the second one measuring over four on the Richter scale to strike this area.
However, these tremors reportedly did not pose a risk of disaster. The institute’s Earthquake Information and Tsunami Warning Center is monitoring the tremor.
In the year to date, the district has been hit by many weak and mild tremors between 2.4 and 4.5 magnitude.
In 2021, tens of quakes below four magnitude were reported to strike this area. From June last year, officials from the institute were dispatched to the district to install one more monitoring station to know more about and issue timely alert warnings about possible dangerous earthquakes.
The institute regularly informs the local authorities and residents about earthquakes in the area, said Nguyen Xuan Anh, head of the institute.
The official advised local residents and authorities to pay attention to earthquake-resistant factors in construction. Also, the authorities need to regularly provide local people with measures to prevent, avoid, and minimize damages caused by strong earthquakes.
Upon receiving early earthquake and tsunami warnings, all of the residents in vulnerable areas must move to safe areas. The authorities must take all possible measures to evacuate their residents, the official said.
