5 magnitude earthquake in Dien Bien

Map of earthquake epicenter. (Source: Institute of Geophysics)

Assessing the 5.0 magnitude earthquake that just occurred in Muong Cha district, Dien Bien province, Mr. Nguyen Thai Son, Head of the Dien Bien Phu City Seismic Observation Station, Dien Bien province (under the Institute of Earth Sciences ) said that this earthquake has a natural disaster risk level equivalent to level 2.

Immediately after the earthquake occurred, the Dien Bien Phu City Seismological Observation Station sent seismic data to the Institute of Earth Sciences.

According to Mr. Nguyen Thai Son, the earthquake was relatively strong, so in the epicenter area, level 4 houses with weak walls may have obvious cracks.

In the Dien Bien Phu city area (about 45km from the epicenter), people still felt strong tremors, but there was little chance of damage to infrastructure.

In the past 100 years, the two largest earthquakes in Vietnam both occurred in Dien Bien. In 1935, the earthquake was 6.9 on the Richter scale, with its epicenter located in the south of the Dien Bien basin, and in 1983, the earthquake was 6.7 on the Richter scale, with its epicenter in Tuan Giao district. Fortunately, both of these earthquakes did not cause much damage because at that time there were not many modern constructions, mainly hills and mountains.

In the future, earthquakes may occur and cause serious consequences, especially if they occur in densely populated areas and with key projects. Therefore, earthquake hazard assessment is very necessary and needs to be updated annually to practically serve the work of socio -economic development planning, seismic resistance design for all types of projects from key to residential areas.

The Institute of Earth Sciences will continue to survey, monitor, and conduct detailed research on tectonic geology and seismic regimes in Dien Bien province and neighboring areas; promptly notify the authorities and people in the area of ​​earthquake activities.

PV (synthesis)

Source: https://baohaiduong.vn/dong-dat-manh-5-do-tai-dien-bien-411691.html