A kindergarten in Mường Tè Commune in Lai Châu Province’s Mường Tè District where several schoolchildren were injured in the aftermath of the earthquakes in the past three days. Photo vov.vn

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has asked concerned authorities to support people suffering consequences of recent earthquakes in the northern province of Lai Châu.

Some earthquakes hit Mường Tè District on Monday and Tuesday, injuring several students and causing damage to crops, houses and public infrastructure.

In his official dispatch, the Prime Minister extended sympathy to affected households, especially families of the injured children.

He urged the provincial People’s Committee to support those hit by the earthquakes, providing local residents with adequate information and response guidelines. The committee was tasked to inspect infrastructure in earthquake-hit areas including reservoirs and hydro-power plants and promptly repair them if needed.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Industry and Trade were assigned to ensure safety for reservoirs and dams in earthquake-hit areas.

The PM requested the central steering committee for natural disaster prevention and control and Việt Nam Institute of Geophysics to monitor the development of natural disasters and provide responses in accordance with their assigned tasks.

Local authorities said Mường Tè Commune was shaken by nearly 20 earthquakes over the past three days with the strongest tremor registering a magnitude of 4.9 around noon on Tuesday (June 16).

The quake has shaken a number of houses and damaged public works in the area.

Four children at a local kindergarten were injured when a plaster ceiling collapsed on them. After the incident, they were taken to the communal healthcare station for examination.

About 1.8 hectares of rice fields and 300 fruit trees were also damaged. — VNS