Up to 169 earthquakes with a magnitude of 2.5 or higher have happened in Kon Plong District in Kon Tum since April last year. There have been more than 20 earthquakes measuring 2.5 to 4.5 on the Richter Scale over recent days.
The consecutive earthquakes have frightened local people. Y Xuan, a resident from Dak Tang Village, said that she had witnessed more earthquakes over the past two years. Once, while in bed, her family clearly felt their house shaking. Furniture in their house fell to the ground and they had to quickly escape the house.
Dak Tang Communes is among localities hard hit by the earthquakes
Y Xuan experienced eight earthquakes in one day. She hoped that local authorities could quickly identify the reasons for the earthquakes.
Kon Plong People’s Committee said the five local communes of Ngoc Tem, Dak Tang, Dak Nen, Dak Ring and Mang But have been hit by earthquakes measuring 3.6 to 4.5 on the Richter Scale.
The tremors have caused cracks in the walls of some classrooms at Dak Nen Ethnic Minority Boarding High School. The same situation has also been reported at Dak Ring Primary School.
Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh has asked the Ministry of Science and Technology to instruct the Institute of Geophysics to conduct an investigation into the earthquakes.
The Institute of Geophysics has deployed three monitoring stations in the area, which can better observe earthquakes and conduct research related to reservoirs.