Second earthquake hits Vietnam’s Dien Bien in two days

The epicenter of the quake is roughly the same as that of a previous shallow tremor on September 3, which turned out to be caused by a North Korean nuclear test, the official Xinhua news agency said. - AFP/file

DIEN BIEN (VIetnam): A 4.3-magnitude earthquake hit Vietnam's northwestern province of Dien Bien early Tuesday morning, the second recorded this year and also the second within just two days, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported.

The earthquake's centre was at a depth of 10km in Muong Ang district, with shocks lasting about four seconds, said Nguyen Thai Son, head of the Dien Bien Phu City's Seismic Monitoring Station.

Residents in Muong Thanh and Muong Ang districts, Dien Bien Phu city, said they clearly felt tremors. However, there is yet any report on damage to houses or buildings.

On Monday (Jan 8), a 3.9-magnitude earthquake hit the province about more than 10km from Muong Ang district.

Last year, Dien Bien province was struck by seven earthquakes in different areas including Muong Cha, Dien Bien Dong, Tuan Giao and Tua Chau and Muong Lay township with the magnitude ranging from 2.1 to 3.9 on the Richter scale.

According to Son, quakes are normal in the mountainous province of Dien Bien as it is situated on the fault systems of Dien Bien-Lai Chau and Song Ma-Son La.

Over the past 100 years, three big earthquakes with magnitudes of over 5 on the Richter scale were recorded in Dien Bien, one in 1935 (magnitude of 6.9), another in 1983 (magnitude of 6.7), and the latest in 2001 (magnitude of 5.3). – Bernama