5.0 Earthquake Shakes Landlocked Laos

Despite never having recorded a tragedy on the scale of the recent earthquake in Nepal, Laos is also at risk of earthquakes in the future, according to an earthquake specialist.

A technical official from the Aeronautical Meteorology Division of the Meteorology and Hydrology Department said Laos had experienced a quake of 5.0 magnitude at around 1am on Wednesday.

The 5.0 magnitude earthquake which shook the area between Borikhamxay and XiengKhuang provinces was detected but no damage has been reported, officials confirmed.

The quake occurred at around 1am and was followed by an aftershock of about 3.2 magnitude at around 2 am.

The tremor was felt in the area, especially by villagers in Mokmay district, Xieng Khuang province who reported the ground shaking under their feet.

Officials from Xieng Khuang received information from Mokmay district villagers that the quake had occurred. Mokmay district shares borders with Vietnam and Thathom district in Xaysomboun province.

Located in a mountai nous area, people in Xieng Khaung were quite frightened as earthquakes are quite a rare occurrence in Laos.

Officials urged members of the public to be aware of the potential for earthquakes in Laos.

“Laos is also at risk of earthquakes but we do not know when or how strong one might be. All we can do is to be prepare for it,” the earthquake specialist said.

Lao people who felt the tremor were quite frightened, especially in the wake of the devastating 7.8 quake in Nepal, which claimed the lives of thousands of people and caused hundreds of buildings and other structures to collapse.

Source: Vientiane Times