A magnitude 4.8 earthquake cracked walls, spilled items from store shelves and caused other minor damage in a fishing community in the country’s southwestern region yesterday, but no injuries have been reported.
The earthquake in Buan, which had an estimated depth of 8km, was the strongest detected in South Korea this year.
The National Fire Agency said it so far confirmed eight minor cases of property damage in Buan and the nearby city of Iksan.
The damage included cracked walls at homes and a warehouse, at least two broken wall tiles and at least one broken window.
The quake was also strong enough to knock items off store shelves.
Jo Yoo-jin, an official at the North Joella province fire department, said officials received nearly 80 calls from area residents who felt the tremors.
More than 200 similar calls were placed by residents in other regions, including 38 in the central North Chungcheong province and seven in the country’s capital, Seoul, according to the National Fire Agency.
There were no reports of injuries as of yesterday morning.
South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-Soo, the country’s No. 2 official behind President Yoon Suk-yeol, instructed officials to guard against the possibility of aftershocks and prepare to safely evacuate residents and protect key infrastructure such as power plants and transportation networks.
South Korea’s Nuclear Safety and Security Commission said it assessed that the earthquake did not affect the safety at any of the country’s nuclear power plants and that it did not find any abnormalities after conducting emergency inspections. — AP
