QUẢNG NAM — An earthquake, measuring 3.9 on the Richter scale, hit the district of Nam Trà My in the central province of Quảng Nam around 7am Tuesday morning, but no damage or casualties were reported.

Local residents living in the district centre, 90km south of Tam Kỳ City in Quảng Nam Province, felt shaking in the morning.

The district, situated 50km from the Sông Tranh 2 Hydropower Plant, has reported five quakes ranging from 3.2 to 3.9 on the Richter scale since 2017. These tremors just shook the ground, but it did not destroy buildings or houses in the area.

A report from the Earthquake and Tsunami Warning Centre under the Institute of Geophysics, said the quake had a seismic focus at a depth of 8.7km, and the institute has been tracking the quake.

The institute also said a 2.8-Richer scale tremor also occurred in the district around midnight on July 15.

Chairman of the district’s people’s committee, Hồ Quang Bửu, said the quake did not damage any houses or cause losses for local people in the district and communes.

“The quake, which happened in the morning, just caused the ground to shake, but it did not damage any houses or public buildings in the district. However, we have made preparations for evacuations and rescue teams to respond to any emergencies,” Bửu said.

Experts from the institute said that the series of tremors occurring in mountainous districts of Quảng Nam Province, near the hydro-power plant, were due to seismic activity caused by water stored in the hydropower plant reservoir, and that their magnitude was not greater than the reservoir’s capacity to withstand quakes (of up to 5.5 in magnitude).

Neighbouring Bắc Trà My District, the nearest area to the hydro-power plant, has been stricken by over 20 earthquakes and tremors since 2012.

The biggest quake, measuring 4.7 on the Richter scale, struck Bắc Trà My District in 2012, and was the biggest quake in Quảng Nam Province, causing superficial damage to over 100 houses.

Several earthquakes measuring 2.6 to 3.6 on the Richter scale were recorded in mountainous districts of Quế Sơn, Tây Giang, Phước Sơn in 2015. — VNS