Strong 6.0-magnitude quake rattles northern Thailand: USGS

[skorchio]

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

Cracking photo

[bigbamboo]

We're in CM and this was not as strong here as the 5.2 one a few years ago when the water was sloshing around in the pool like crazy but that was much closer. From what I've seen from Chiang Rai they were shaken up more than we were then.

[realenglish1]

At first I thought I was just tired but kept feeling this rolling feeling at our Condo I am on the 15 th floor and then said to my girlfriend I think we are having an earth quake. She said she felt it too..

We are in Klong San Bangkok

[Rob8891]

Still getting a number of minor aftershocks here in CR which is keeping us on our toes!

Get that camera out, FS!

...........and take care!

[circusman]

Bamboo house above the pig. I thought the pig was bumping the posts til I saw this.

No pig the whole house was shaking. Nothing here fall.

In mountains 65 klicks north of CM 100 klicks south of CR.

WHAT ?

[khwaibah]

Are more shocks expected in these situations ?

You can have after shocks for some time.

[northernjohn]

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.

Excuse me, but going outside is the biggest mistake of those who die in earthquakes... killed by falling debris, cut by broken glass etc etc Net time, stay inside beneath a solid structure e.g. table

Or under 20 stories of rubble.

[DLP]

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

Cracking photo

Dont worry someone will be filling it in tomorrow

[northernjohn]

We are on the 17th floor here in Chiang Mai. I knew what it was rite away but it took the wife a bit to catch on. She wanted to go down in to the lobby. But I said stay the Television was only off for a minute so I continued to watch it. I am going to have to teach her where to go in case of a bad one. We are less than a minute away from an area that has no tall buildings.

The last one we went through I believe was centered in Burma but i felt it more here than this one. We have a chandelier and the one in Burma had it really swaying. This one only about 70% as much. 9:00 PM and the wife is still afraid. If I leave the room she will leave it. good thing she was on the ground at the last one.

I know the correct thing to do is go down the stairs but I choose to ignore it as I have been through worse here and was in no fear of the building collapsing. But we did have one lady who lives on the 19th floor walk all the way down and stay in the lobby. I will explain to her why she would have been better off in the vacant lot close to us.

Edit

it is lot not pot.

Edited May 5, 2014 by northernjohn

[hardy1943]

I live in Muang Chiang Rai been geeting after shoks for over 3 hours now but each one less last one about 10 minutes ago

Edited May 5, 2014 by hardy1943

[DP25]

Are more shocks expected in these situations ?

Smaller aftershocks are very likely.

There is also a very small chance it is a foreshock to a larger quake

[Mentors]

Now Thailand have another problem.

Some years ago i read that many newer high buildings in Bangkok are not earthquake proofed.

[canuckamuck]

Had a pretty big aftershock just now

[EyesWideOpen]

You have to laugh at these pathetic excuses for journalists, using a two year old picture of a road damaged in Myanmar they nicked off the Internet and calling it "a road severely cracked by the quake".

https://globalvoicesonline.org/2011/03/25/myanmar-photos-of-earthquake-disaster/

The idiots.

Strong earthquake shakes northern Thailand

CHIANG RAI: A strong and shallow earthquake rattled northern Thailand this evening (May 5), shaking tall buildings in Bangkok hundreds of miles to the south, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

A road severely cracked by the quake.

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

The epicentre was around 27 kilometres from Chiang Rai.

Residents said they had seen cracked building facades, broken shop windows and damage to roads. An offical said power had been cut in Phan district where the epicentre was.

"So far there are no reports of injured or dead," said Manat Khamtai, head of the Disaster Mitigation Department in Chiang Rai province.

"In Phan there's a report that a school building has been cracked and the power is still out across the district," he said.

As darkness fell another official warned residents in the 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, said, adding there have been five aftershocks within a 150-kilometre radius of the epicentre.

A resident in Chiang Rai reported around 10 seconds of vigorous shaking, followed by several aftershocks.

"It was a very big quake... but hopefully the damage is not too bad," Tuenjai Deetes said.

"I heard that the head of a Buddha statue at a temple in Phan district fell off in the earthquake and parts of the ceiling at Chiang Rai airport collapsed," she added.

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 city of Chiang Mai 160 kilometres (100 miles) southwest of Chiang Rai and as far away as Bangkok, 800 kilometres to the south, 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 Chiang Mai.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/strong-earthquake-shakes-northern-thailand-46110.php?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

-- Phuket News 2014-05-05

Wow nice catch........ I knew journalism here was bad, but had no idea it was that

bad. Posting photos of a quake from 2011 in Burma as if the photos were from the current

quake is beyond pathetic. Now I will trust nothing from the Thai media.

[Som wat]

Bamboo house above the pig. I thought the pig was bumping the posts til I saw this.

No pig the whole house was shaking. Nothing here fall.

In mountains 65 klicks north of CM 100 klicks south of CR.

WHAT ?

You don't live in a bamboo house, above a pig, circusman?

[Thaiisnotrequired]

This is pretty much the daily state of roads (Soi) in Phatumtani, currently.

What concerns me more is that CM, or any part of Thailand, is not generally the centre of an earthquake.

How're the new sensors for Tsunami doing in ratified (joke) areas of risk? I mean the ones paid for by Thaksin, in 2005, bought from China.

Careful you guts in CM, there could be a huge wave coming... as stated in 2011, by yours truly.

Edited May 5, 2014 by Thaiisnotrequired

[juleschiangrai]

Still feeling aftershocks now in downtown chiang rai.. Jed yod street.

[khwaibah]

PM orders step-up of rescue operations in quake-affected areas

Caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra Monday night ordered the three armed forces and the Interior Ministry to rush rescue teams and equipments to help earthquake victims in affected areas.
An earthquake of 6.0 magnitude on the Richter scale struck Chiang Rat at 6.08 pm Monday, according to US Geological Survey. It was the biggest quake ever recorded in Thai history.

The epicenter of the quake was in southern Mae Lao district of Chiang Rat at the depth of 7.4 kilometres underground.

Initial reports said that the most-affected areas include Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Lamphun and Lampang provinces.

The National Disaster Warning Centre said that the 6.0 magnitude quake was regarded as a moderate quake which would cause damages to properties, communications lines, energy sources and telecommunications system within 24-kilometre radius. The affected areas within 24-km radius include Pan, Muang, Mae Lao, Mae Sruey and Wiang Pa Pao districts of Chiang Rai.

The quake of such magnitude may cause cracks in buildings within 25-112 kilometre radius which include Khun Tarn, Chiang Khong, Chiang Saen, Doi Luang, Thoeng, Pa Dad, Phya Meng Rai, Pan, Mae Chan, Mae Fah Luang, Mae Sai, Wiang Kaen, Wiang Chai, Wiang Chiang Rung and Wiang Paopao districts of Chiang Rai; Chiang Dao, Chai Prakan, Doi Saked, Fang, Prao, Mae Taeng, Mae Rim, Mae On, Mae Ai, Chiang Haeng, San Kamphaeng, San Sai and Song Kwae districts of Chiang Mai; Chun, Chiang Kham, Chiang Muang, Dok Kam Tai, Pong, Phu Kam Yao, Phu Sang, Muang and Mae Jai districts of Phayao; Songdistrict of Phrae; Ngao, Chae Hom, Pan, Mae Moh and Wang Nua districts of Lampang.

Mr Sawang Momdee, an official of the disaster prevention and mitigation in Chiang Rai, said many buildings in Pan district have suffered extensive damages and the Chiang Rung hotel in the district sustained extensive cracks.

-- Thai PBS 2014-05-05

[Choonpon]

Hang on folks!

[Thaiisnotrequired]

We are on the 17th floor here in Chiang Mai. I knew what it was rite away but it took the wife a bit to catch on. She wanted to go down in to the lobby. But I said stay the Television was only off for a minute so I continued to watch it. I am going to have to teach her where to go in case of a bad one. We are less than a minute away from an area that has no tall buildings.

The last one we went through I believe was centered in Burma but i felt it more here than this one. We have a chandelier and the one in Burma had it really swaying. This one only about 70% as much. 9:00 PM and the wife is still afraid. If I leave the room she will leave it. good thing she was on the ground at the last one.

I know the correct thing to do is go down the stairs but I choose to ignore it as I have been through worse here and was in no fear of the building collapsing. But we did have one lady who lives on the 19th floor walk all the way down and stay in the lobby. I will explain to her why she would have been better off in the vacant lot close to us.

Edit

it is lot not pot.

I did like a part of an extract from your post:

"the one in Burma had it really swaying. This one only about 70% as much. 9:00 PM and the wife is still afraid. If I leave the room she will leave it. good thing she was on the ground at the last one."

Cool dude... you're a player.

Soz mate,,, but.. yer know. .. cudn't resist.....

[khwaibah]

I do not blame these guys..Monks in Phayao

.

[annabel]

Strong indeed. Hope we do not learn of any injuries or deaths.

Didn't have a Tsunami in my pool like I did 3 1/2 years ago so certainly was not the biggest Chiang Mai has had ....took 30 minutes at that time for the water in my pool to settle back to normal ... now that was really scary ...! Was going over the edge right into the middle of the walkway to the rooms ... This one lasted max 15 secs here anyway

[annabel]

Many felt it in Mae Sai and my wife was in Tachilek and they felt it there as well. I was in a 7 in Mae Sai and the floor was bumping around and the boxes on the shelves were dancing a bit. It lasted maybe 15-20 seconds here. Hope no one was hurt over in Chiang Rai.

How to survive in an earthquake ,,http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Udr0hfjVHM&feature=player_detailpage

[Torrens54]

Nothing but a bit of, "OLD TIME ROCK "N" ROLL."

[Torrens54]

This is pretty much the daily state of roads (Soi) in Phatumtani, currently.

What concerns me more is that CM, or any part of Thailand, is not generally the centre of an earthquake.

How're the new sensors for Tsunami doing in ratified (joke) areas of risk? I mean the ones paid for by Thaksin, in 2005, bought from China.

Careful you guts in CM, there could be a huge wave coming... as stated in 2011, by yours truly.

A real "Bitch of a Ditch!"

[Guitar God]

Just two weeks ago I had two different pool builders tell me Thailand didn't have any seismic activity so I didn't need to consider that when choosing between a pool with tile or a liner.

Wonder what they're saying now?

I didn't feel anything in Bangkok on the 4th floor and this place moves sometimes when heavy trucks speed past the building.

[JohnThailandJohn]

Just two weeks ago I had two different pool builders tell me Thailand didn't have any seismic activity so I didn't need to consider that when choosing between a pool with tile or a liner.

Wonder what they're saying now?

I didn't feel anything in Bangkok on the 4th floor and this place moves sometimes when heavy trucks speed past the building.

Everywhere can and does have earthquakes but Bangkok isn't a place prone to earthquakes, Northern Thailand is more so. Building codes are different depending on the likelihood of a significant quake .... NY doesn't build to LA standards even though NY gets earthquakes too.

I think you either misunderstood the pool builders or they were telling you something in very basic terms to not make things complicated.

[assayer]

4:18 AM -just had an afershock from Chiang Rai earthquake. We live in San Sai just outside of Chiang Mai.

[rhinoboy]

Same in Chang Phuek Chiang Mai, 4;18am condo moved again. When is this sucker going to stop?

[webfact]

EARTHQUAKE
Big quake rocks North
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- People in Chiang Rai's Phan district ran out of their homes and buildings in panic as ground in the far North shook during a 6.1-magnitude earthquake yesterday.

The quake was so strong it could be felt in Bangkok high rises, such as Baiyoke Tower and Central World Mall. But no fatalities had been reported by press time.

It was believed to be the biggest quake recorded with an epicentre in Thailand.

The National Disaster Warning Centre urged people in the affected area to stay in safe places, as more aftershocks were expected. People have also been advised to follow the centre's updates closely.

At press time, at least five aftershocks - each between 3 and 4 in magnitude - were recorded, Burin Wechbunthung, chief of the Meteorological Department's Seismological Bureau, said.

A road in Phan district cracked when the quake took place at about 6pm yesterday evening, and a hotel in Chiang Rung district suffered damage to its exterior.

Shoppers were seen running out of the Central Plaza Mall in Muang district as things began falling off the shelves, while ceiling tiles at Chiang Rai Airport began dropping during the quake.

Chalermchai Kositpipat, a Thai artist famous for religious paintings who built the famous Wat Rong Khun in Muang district, told Nation TV that the temple's high-rise structure and pagoda - as well as the hall featuring his paintings - had been damaged by the quake. He said he had no idea how the damage would be repaired.

"The earth shook so violently that it felt like the end of world," he said, adding that the damage could not be assessed just yet.

Asian Institute of Technology seismological expert Dr Penneung Wanitchai told Nation TV that the quake could be a main shock, as there were fault lines all over the North and the cumulative stress on these fault lines had led to this. He warned that the quake could lead to other, stronger earthquakes.

He called on people living within a 50-kilometre radius from the epicentre to stay outside buildings that have cracks, because there may be more aftershocks in the next three or four days.

Penneung said the quake, which damaged several properties, was the largest in Thailand since 1935, when a 6.5-magnitude quake hit Nan province and an area near the Lao border.

He also urged officials to survey the damage within a 10-20km radius from the epicentre and provide aid to any affected residents.

The impact was also felt in other provinces in the North and ancient sites with structural issues reported cracks and damage.

Chiang Mai residents said they felt the earth shaking violently for several minutes, and many shoppers at malls and those living in buildings higher two storeys ran out in panic.

Office worker Patlada Pattanodom said the quake's impact prompted her to rush out of her home in Hang Dong district.

"I could hear the ceiling creaking loudly, and everything fell out of the shelves. So my husband and I ran out of the house. We thought we were going to die," she said.


-- The Nation 2014-05-06