5.0 magnitude earthquake in Muong Cha district, Dien Bien province

Earthquake epicenter map

Dr. Nguyen Xuan Anh, Director of the Earthquake Information and Tsunami Warning Center (Institute of Earth Sciences ), said that at 11:17:21 on May 16, an earthquake of magnitude 5.0 occurred at the coordinates 21.747 degrees North latitude - 103.129 degrees East longitude, with a focal depth of about 10km, in Muong Cha district, Dien Bien province.

Many people living in Dien Bien Phu city, Tuan Giao, Muong Ang, Muong Cha districts felt the shaking.

The Institute of Earth Sciences assessed this earthquake as having a level 2 natural disaster risk in the epicenter area.

Currently, the Earthquake Information and Tsunami Warning Center (Institute of Earth Sciences) is continuing to monitor these earthquakes.

Dien Bien province lies on two major fault zones, including: Dien Bien - Muong Lay stretching about 200 km and Song Ma - Tuan Giao - Lai Chau . Due to this geological feature, Dien Bien is an area where earthquakes of different magnitudes often occur. Earthquakes often occur in the districts of Dien Bien, Dien Bien Dong, Tuan Giao, Muong Cha, Muong Nhe and Muong Lay.

On average, Dien Bien experiences 3-5 earthquakes with a magnitude of less than 4 each year. However, the three largest earthquakes recorded here were in 1935 (6.9 magnitude in Dien Bien basin), 1983 (6.7 magnitude in Tuan Giao) and 2001 (5.3 magnitude in Dien Bien Phu city).

According to Vietnam's classification, an earthquake of magnitude 5 is considered moderate and can cause moderate to severe damage to poorly designed structures.

Thu Giang

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/dong-dat-5-do-tai-huyen-muong-cha-tinh-dien-bien-10225051612281366.htm