Strong 6.0-magnitude quake rattles northern Thailand: USGS

BANGKOK, May 5, 2014 (AFP) - A strong and shallow earthquake rattled northern Thailand on Monday afternoon, shaking tall buildings in Bangkok hundreds of miles to the south.

The 6.0-magnitude quake, at a depth of just 7.4 kilometres (4.5 miles), hit just after 6 pm (1100 GMT), the US Geological Survey said.

The epicentre was around 27 kilometres from the mountainous city of Chiang Rai.

As darkness fell a Thai official warned residents in Chiang Rai province to brace for aftershocks.

"This is the most powerful earthquake to strike the country in recent times," Burin Wechbunthung, a seismologist at the Meteorological Department, told AFP.

"There have been five aftershocks so far and people within a 150-kilometre radius of the epicentre in Phan district should be warned," he added.

There were no immediate reports of major damage, although television showed cracked building facades, broken shop windows and damage to roads.

The area is a remote mountain retreat near the border with Myanmar and Laos and popular with foreign tourists.

Another official from the Meteorological Department said the quake had a 6.1-magnitude.

"The earthquake occurred on the Phayao fault line. This fault line covers Phayao and Chiang Rai provinces. Officials are checking how bad the damage is," Sophon Chaiya told reporters.

The quake was felt in the nearby city of Chiang Mai and as far south as Bangkok, 800 kilometres (500 miles) away, where tall buildings shook for several seconds.

It was also felt in Myanmar's commercial centre of Yangon, an AFP reporter there said.

Major earthquakes are rare in Thailand, although tremors often strike the north of the country.

A 6.8-magnitude quake hit Myanmar's eastern state of Shan in March 2011, leaving dozens dead near the border with Thailand and Laos and reducing homes and government buildings to rubble.

The area hit in 2011 is close to Chiang Rai and prompted the then-government to call for a review of Thailand's preparedness for a major seismic event.

Chiang Rai province is dotted with national parks which draw droves of tourists, many of them travelling from the nearby city of Chiang Mai.


-- (c) Copyright AFP 2014-05-05

Threads running in the Chiang Rai & Chiang Mai forums.

We all felt it down here in C.M., also Pai, but C.R. seems to have had more after-shocks.

RT @RichardBarrow: Earthquake damage at Boots Phamarcy in Central Dept Store, Chiang Rai #Thailand (Via @Nisfhon) http://t.co/cyYWPo2bYR

Earthquake of 6.3 magnitude strikes in northern Thailand: USGS
BANGKOK

(Reuters) - An earthquake of 6.3 magnitude struck northern Thailand on Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

The quake, which struck 20 miles southwest of the town of city of Chiang Rai, was felt in the capital, Bangkok, residents said.

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/05/us-earthquake-thailand-idUSBREA440A220140505

-- REUTERS 2014-05-05

Well the Mrs and Myself felt it here in Bangkok at 6.15,we are on the 29th floor so was probably amplified but we were both feeling quite disoriented and knew straight away it was a tremor.

we swayed here in our apartment block in Chiang Mai, not felt any after shocks yet...

Here is the thread for Chiang Rai http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/723835-earthquake/

Location and updates here... http://earthquake-report.com/2014/05/05/strong-earthquake-thailand-on-may-5-2014/

I'm keeping one open in the Chiang Mai forum due to it being the strongest felt. Had 13 topics started there nearly simultaneously due to the intensity.

Chiang Mai forum http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/723823-earthquake-in-cm/

RT @RichardBarrow: Earthquake damage at Boots Phamarcy in Central Dept Store, Chiang Rai #Thailand (Via @Nisfhon) http://t.co/cyYWPo2bYR

Puff in Boots needs Shake n Vac

RT @RichardBarrow: Multiple reports of road damage in Chiang Rai after earthquake. This is Mae Suai district (Pic @nookkieZ) #Thailand http://t.co/XYANcm2YvZ

Earthquake of 6 magnitude strikes Thailand
BANGKOK

(Reuters) - An earthquake of 6 magnitude struck northern Thailand on Monday causing some damage to buildings and roads and knocking goods off shelves in shops but there were no immediate reports of any casualties.

The quake struck 17 miles (27 km) southwest of the town of Chiang Rai, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). It was felt in the Thai capital, Bangkok, and in neighbouring Myanmar.

"There has been minor damage to buildings in Chiang Rai itself, some shops have goods scattered about and we're seeing cracks in buildings," a Chiang Rai police officer told Reuters.

"No injuries have been reported so far but we're hearing that some provincial roads have sustained some damage with large cracks appearing," said the officer, who declined to be identified as he is not authorised to speak to the media.

Full story: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/05/05/uk-earthquake-thailand-idUKKBN0DL0KZ20140505

-- REUTERS 2014-05-05

Have Tat got hold of this yet,i would like to see how they spin this one

RT @RichardBarrow: Multiple reports of road damage in Chiang Rai after earthquake. This is Mae Suai district (Pic @nookkieZ) #Thailand http://t.co/XYANcm2YvZ

The largest tremor was a 6.5 just Northeast of Mae Suai.

Have Tat got hold of this yet,i would like to see how they spin this one

Come to Thailand, where the earth REALLY WILL move for you....

Have Tat got hold of this yet,i would like to see how they spin this one

Shake Rattle and roll

Shake it baby shake.

Have had a few lagers,so if we felt it here in Petchabun i probably would not have noticed,hope everyone is ok,no injuries or damage.

Have Tat got hold of this yet,i would like to see how they spin this one

The subtle final push creates hub for rumbles.

We need the hole truth.

TAT did the mirth hoove for you?

Earthquake data from European-Mediterranean Seismological Center. Link up and scroll down to view data on Thailand and other regions in SE Asia.

http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/seismologist.php

Umm, I'm in Chiang Mai, and to me it lasted about 30 seconds. Scary as s***! I live in a 15 story bldg, 4th floor, so we went outside. Farangs all lined up outside, about 15 feet from the building. My wife went over to stand with them, and I told her to come with me over to the wat across the street, about 50 meters away with a few other structures in between, where there was less chance of a 15-story bldg coming down on top of us. Holy cow! It was freaky! My wife's tip-toeing around now. Lol.

Was in a shopping centre in CM. Everyone got out of there really quickly! External walls have minor damage. No one hurt!

Felt it very strong here in Hang Dong area in CM. I could see houses going up and down. As if the earth was pushing up. It was scary. My car was shaking that the car alarm went off.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Now all we have to do is wait for Geoman to come on and tell us all what happened,i cannot wait.

I was playing with my flight simulator at the time and thought the turbulance was getting a bit strong then realised I did not have force feedback tables and walls.

6.0 earthquake shakes northern Thailand
By CNN Staff

(CNN) -- A 6.0 magnitude earthquake shook northern Thailand on Monday evening, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The temblor happened at 6:08 p.m. (7:08 a.m. ET), centered about 6 miles south of Mae Lao at a depth of 4.6 miles.

It was centered about 30 miles southeast of Thailand's border with Myanmar and about 60 miles west of Thailand's border with Laos.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/05/world/asia/thailand-earthquake/index.html


-- CNN 2014-05-05

Have Tat got hold of this yet,i would like to see how they spin this one

You know they will make a HUB out of it.

Poor Thai weathermen are going to catch the blame for not predicting this.

Have Tat got hold of this yet,i would like to see how they spin this one

You know they will make a HUB out of it.

They'll probably spin Chiang Rai as Thailand's new exciting thrill ride theme park.

Earthquake jolts Chiang Rai, no damage reported

BANGKOK, 5 May 2014 (NNT) – An earthquake of 5.8 on the Richter scale occurring at a depth of 10 kilometers hit Phan district in the northern province of Chiang Rai on Monday at 6.08 PM. The tremor was felt in the nearby Lam Pang province.

Authorities warn people in the earthquake areas to stay in a safe place as there might be aftershocks. The National Disaster Warning Center will keep providing updates on the situation.


-- NNT 2014-05-06

Have Tat got hold of this yet,i would like to see how they spin this one

You know they will make a HUB out of it.

They'll probably spin Chiang Rai as Thailand's new exciting thrill ride theme park.

That is just north of town but he doesn't pay sponsorship fees