The location of the epicenter of the earthquake. (Source: VNA) According to Nguyen Thai Son, head of the seismic observation station in the provincial capital city of Dien Bien Phu, the shaking lasted for 5 to 6 seconds.
With the quake having a relatively strong intensity, buildings in the epicentre area with weak walls may experience cracks. For Dien Bien Phu city, which is 30-35km away from the earthquake location, people could clearly feel a strong shaking but damage to facilities was unlikely, Son said.
Quake-related developments in the district are now under close monitoring.
Earlier, in late December, Laos’ Phongsaly province, which shares a borderline with Dien Bien, were rocked by many earthquakes with magnitude from 3.0 to 5.5. Among them, a 5.5 magnitude on December 24 were felt in many provinces and cities in Vietnam. Three other consecutive earthquakes with magnitude from 3.0 to 3.7 took place in Phongsaly on December 26 and 31, with their epicentres being only 21-50km away from Dien Bien./.
VNA
