Dien Bien experienced a 5-magnitude earthquake

According to Mr. Nguyen Xuan Anh, Director of the Earthquake Information and Tsunami Warning Center (Institute of Earth Sciences ), an earthquake has just occurred in Muong Cha district (Dien Bien province).

At 11:17 this afternoon, a magnitude 5 earthquake occurred in Muong Cha district. The focal depth was about 10km. Many people in Dien Bien and even Lao Cai also felt the aftershocks of this earthquake. The Institute of Earth Sciences assessed this earthquake as having a level 2 natural disaster risk in the epicenter.

The earthquake this afternoon in Dien Bien province was assessed as a level 2 natural disaster risk.

Currently, the Earthquake Information and Tsunami Warning Center (Institute of Earth Sciences) is continuing to monitor these earthquakes. In Vietnam, earthquakes with a magnitude of 5-5.9 are considered moderate earthquakes.

These earthquakes can cause moderate to severe damage to poorly designed structures; no damage or minor damage to well-designed structures; and can be fatal depending on the circumstances of the impact.

Dien Bien province is located in the Northwest region, where there are two major seismic fault lines, Dien Bien - Lai Chau and Song Ma - Son La, so earthquakes often occur in the province. Previously, Dien Bien province had 3 very large earthquakes.

According to historical data, 3 very large earthquakes have occurred in Dien Bien with magnitudes ranging from 5.3 to 6.9, in 1935 (6.9 magnitude in Dien Bien basin); 1983 (6.7 magnitude in Tuan Giao town), 2001 (5.3 magnitude in Dien Bien Phu city), 2019 (4.3 magnitude in Muong Ang district). The 5.3 magnitude earthquake in 2001 alone caused about 210 billion VND in damage, destroying many structures.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/Xa-hoi/dien-bien-xay-ra-dong-dat-manh-5-do-i768563/