Strong 6.0-magnitude quake rattles northern Thailand: USGS

[webfact]

Damage reported in several northern provinces after Chiang Rai quake

CHIANG RAI, 6 May 2014 (NNT) – Damage has been reported in several provinces in the North after a magnitude 6.3 quake occurred in Chiang Rai, with an epicenter located 10 kilometers deep in Phan district.

Monday's earthquake struck at 6.06 pm, sending people in several northern provinces running out of buildings. Widespread damage to homes, temples, hospitals and other structures were reported in Chiang Rai, although few structures suffered severe damage. Damage was reported at Chiang Rai City Hall and Chiang Rung Hotel. Extensive damage was observed at two temples in the province. One temple suffered severe damage to the top part of a chedi, whereas the head of a Buddha statue at the other temple fell off. A few ceiling tiles in the passenger terminal at Chiang Rai airport were also reported to have fallen down.

As of Monday night, 23 people were reported to have been admitted to hospital in Chiang Rai because of injuries sustained during the quake. 2-3 aftershocks were felt by residents in the downtown area.

The quake also sent shoppers strolling in department stores in Chiang Mai running out of the buildings, and Chiang Mai Airport authorities called for a temporary suspension of flights to check for damage.


-- NNT 2014-05-06

[DGS1244]

Now Thailand have another problem.

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

Have surveyed hundreds of buildings in Bangkok and have never found one built to earthquake standards. Same goes for Chiang Mai.

[stevehaigh]

strange thing is, that's not the worst pothole i've seen in Thailand

[hardy1943]

Still small after shocks again now at Muang Chiang Rai just saw screen wiggle

[lee b]

Now Thailand have another problem.

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

Have surveyed hundreds of buildings in Bangkok and have never found one built to earthquake standards. Same goes for Chiang Mai.

Oh No don't say they, we live in a high rise in CM ! Must be about 25 years old. Hope this is ok, no damage from yesterday, just hope there is no foreshock

[boomerangutang]

I asked if Thailand had any seismic activity and they said "no". No fault lines, no subduction zones and that the country, especially in the Isaan area was the most stable and least likely to have any ground movement caused by earthquakes. They understood the question and I I understood their answer. Odd neither of them knew there was a fault line near Chiang Rai.

I suspect this was a rare occurrence.

.

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.

If you ask a Thai about something related to science, expect to get a hazy or false answer. Alternatively, a Thai answering a science-related question, will likely give the answer he/she thinks you, the farang, wants to hear. Or, in the case of the pool builders, the answer which facilitates them getting the job.

How to improve the situation? More real science exposure for Thai youngsters, and less hocus pocus (astrology, metaphysics, etc). And impress upon youngsters that telling the exact truth can be a good thing. If the clock says 9:52, say 9:52 when asked, don't say 10. If the bus ride from point A to Point B takes 2 hours and 37 minutes, don't say 2 hours when asked how long it is. I once arranged at a Thai metal shop to have a rack made for my P.U. truck. I wrote a diagram which clearly showed 4 feet, 1/2 inch for the width (to accommodate sheets of plywood.) The shop made it 4 feet. Will Thailand get sub-contracts to build rocket components for NASA? Doubtful.

[DP25]

Anybody remember the old Wendy's commercial, "Where's the beef?"

I'm kind of wondering, "Where's the asphalt?"

I think some road construction firm has some 'splaining to do.

This photo isn't from Thailand, it's from an earthquake in Burma a couple years ago. Lazy reporters just used the picture for the Thai quake

[KIWIBATCH]

.........Be warned.......if this place starts to "rock" more often with earthquakes......it will reveal/expose the shoddy cutting of corners with Thailands construction techniques...hi rises, bridges, you name it.....it is a worrying thought actually.

I was in Christchurch NZ visiting family shortly after the big one there...the aftershocks still continue to this day.

Not one building was exempted from earthquake damage...and NZ has one of the highest standards in building construction in the world.

Thailand has (insert ? standard here)

[ginjag]

strange thing is, that's not the worst pothole i've seen in Thailand

It's called a night time motor bike catcher. No police road block here.

[BradinAsia]

Now Thailand have another problem.

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

Have surveyed hundreds of buildings in Bangkok and have never found one built to earthquake standards. Same goes for Chiang Mai.

New earthquake-resistant construction standards went into effect in Thailand in 2007. A prominent seismology professor

at Chulalongkorn Univ. says any building built prior to 2007 should be suspect.

[rebelplatoon]

Had quite a fright. Had to get out of the house. Everything shaking madly. I have a swimming pool and the waves made the water spill over. In 32 years never this bad.

[webfact]

One killed in strong earthquake in Chiang Rai
By Digital Content

CHIANG RAI, May 6 -- An elderly woman elder was killed in her collapsed home in Chiang Rai when a strong earthquake rattled this northern Thailand province Monday evening.

The 6.3-magnitude quake, at a depth of 10 kilometres struck just after 6pm. The epicentre was in Chiang Rai's Phan district.

Aftershocks were felt through the whole night. The National Disaster Warning Centre has warned residents in the province to stay at safe places for six to 12 hours as more aftershocks were expected, more than four times per hour.

Many residents remain in panic.

Eighteen Chiang Rai districts were shaken in the strong quake, Phan and Mae Lao were the hardest-hit districts.

Many Buddhist temples, hospitals were damaged as wel as the roads were cracked.

People evacuated department stores, commercial buildings and hotels after they the tremour.

The quake damaged Wat Rongkhun, a well known temple in the province.

Chalermchai Kositpiphat, the artist who designed the temple, said that its structures were damaged but he could not enter them to inspect the damage as the aftershocks were continuing. (MCOT online news)


-- TNA 2014-05-06

[fabianfred]

I do not blame these guys..Monks in Phayao

Neither do I, but their display of human emotion suggests that they need a bit more work on their discipline and letting go of basic emotions.

Only young novices...

[TPI]

In Phrae it was a little shake rattle and roll!

[Tywais]

Off topic posts and comment on moderation removed.

[webfact]

Hundreds of aftershocks hit the north following Monday major quake


Photo : Chiang Rai

CHIANG RAI: -- A magnitude 6.3 earthquake hit the northern region of Thailand on Monday, killing an 83-year-old woman when a wall collapsed on her.

The quake struck at 6.08pm and the initial quake was followed by more than 50 aftershocks. On Monday night and Tuesday, there were about hundreds of aftershocks, resulting in blackout in many areas and forcing evacuation of patients from local hospitals.

The only victim of the quake was identified as Saeng Linkham of Mae Lao district in Chiang Rai province.

The buildings and temples in the northern provinces of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai were damaged and could be felt in high-rise buildings in Bangkok.

The quake was one of the strongest recorded in Thailand, which does not sit on any major fault lines.


-- The Nation 2014-05-06

[charmonman]

My girlfriend's family lives almost at the epicenter between Chiang Rai city and Phan. They are staying outside, well away from any structures until the aftershocks stop as they are quite strong. Her house there looks OK from the outside but they have not wanted to go inside to check in case of another strong aftershock. It sounds like it has been quite traumatic for people in the area.

[webfact]

One dead, 23 injured in Thai quake: official

BANGKOK, May 6, 2014 (AFP) - An elderly woman died and 23 other people were injured after a strong earthquake shook northern Thailand, an official said Tuesday, as aftershocks continued to rattle the mountainous region popular with tourists.

The 83-year-old woman died when a wall in her house collapsed after the 6.0-magnitude struck quake on Monday afternoon, according to an official at the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department in Bangkok.

"Twenty-three people were also injured in separate incidents caused by the quake," the official told AFP, without giving further details.

The quake, which struck at a shallow depth of just 7.4 kilometres (4.5 miles), had its epicentre in the remote Phan district of Chiang Rai province, geologists said, and was felt hundreds of miles to the south in Bangkok and even in Myanmar's commercial capital Yangon.

"Since last evening (Monday) there were six large aftershocks with a magnitude between 5.0 to 5.9 and the last was this morning," Burin Wechbunthung, of the Meteorological Department told AFP, adding there were a dozen smaller tremors.

Residents on Monday said they had seen cracked building facades, broken shop windows and damage to roads, while power was cut for several hours in Phan.
The area is a remote mountain retreat near the border with Myanmar and Laos and popular with foreign visitors.

The quake was felt in the tourist hub 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.

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.


-- (c) Copyright AFP 2014-05-06

[webfact]

Strongest earthquake aftermath in North



BANGKOK: -- As central and local government authorities began to inspect extensive damages caused by the strongest-ever earthquake of 6.3 magnitude today in Chiang Rai and adjacent Phayao and Chiang Mai provinces, authorities at major dams said the tremor did not affect the dams.

Director of Bhumibol dam in Tak province Mr Phisut Chokkhatiwat assured that the earthquake did not affect the dam structure nor the top part of the dam.

He said Bhumibol is a concrete arch dam situated roughly 350 kilometers from Chiang Rai province. It was designed to withstand earthquakes of magnitudes up to 7.5 on the Richter scale.

Sirikit dam director Mr Suthep Loetsimongkhon said Sirikit dam in Uttaradit province was not affected by the quake either, based on readings from the seismometer installed there.

He said the quake epicenter was around 230 kilometers from Sirikit Dam, which can withstand earthquakes of up magnitude 7.

But damage has been reported in several provinces in the North after a magnitude 6.3 quake occurred in Chiang Rai, with an epicenter located 10 kilometers deep in Phan district.

Monday’s earthquake struck at 6.06 pm, sending people in several northern provinces running out of buildings.

Widespread damage to homes, temples, hospitals and other structures were reported in Chiang Rai, although few structures suffered severe damage.

Damage was reported at Chiang Rai City Hall and Chiang Rung Hotel. Extensive damage was observed at two temples in the province.
One temple suffered severe damage to the top part of a chedi, whereas the head of a Buddha statue at the other temple fell off.
A few ceiling tiles in the passenger terminal at Chiang Rai airport were also reported to have fallen down.

As of Monday night, 23 people were reported to have been admitted to hospital in Chiang Rai because of injuries sustained during the quake. Small aftershocks were felt by residents in the downtown area.

The quake also sent shoppers strolling in department stores in Chiang Mai running out of the buildings, and Chiang Mai Airport authorities called for a temporary suspension of flights to check for damage.
Meanwhile the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department said after the 6.3 magnitude quake struck Tambon Saikhao in Phan district of Chiang Rai at 6.08 p.m. Monday night, more than 50 aftershocks of magnitudes 5.9-3 were reported until 10.15 p.m. last night.

It said 3 aftershocks of 5.0-5.9 magnitude, 10 aftershocks of 4.0-4.9 magnitude, 20 aftershocks of 3.0-3.9 magnitude, and more than 20 aftershocks of less than 3.0 magnitude were recorded.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/strongest-earthquake-aftermath-north/


-- Thai PBS 2014-05-06

[realenglish1]

I felt the first earth quake Was sitting at my computer and all of a sudden I felt movement like I was drunk Then said to my girlfriend " I think we had an earth quake. She said Yea I feel it too. So I know I was not going crazy. 15th floor of my condo on Chareon Nakorn Road Klongsan

[boomerangutang]

The reported magnitude of the quake keeps hiking up. From 5.7 .....on to 6.3

Each time there's an update, the number bumps up a tenth.

By Sunday, the reports will be saying 9.2

[Mango Bob]

The funny part of this is about 25 TV members were online reporting the earthquake instead of

getting out of their homes. Amazing Thailand, amazing farngs trying to play reporter for

TV.

[carstenp]

Duplicate post

Edited May 6, 2014 by carstenp

[carstenp]

The funny part of this is about 25 TV members were online reporting the earthquake instead of

getting out of their homes. Amazing Thailand, amazing farngs trying to play reporter for

TV.

Maybe there where sitting outside with iPad, laptop, iPhones on a wifi connection.. Be positive my friend. A lot of people here on TV should see the life from the bride side instead

[Stan7444]

I was in a conference about earthquakes in Thailand and found although there are building codes pasted by the gov’t over 12 years ago which provide for strict regulations to contractors to design earthquake protection in especially high rise buildings, these codes are overlooked, not enforced (since will add up to 15% cost to building construction) and officials are paid to look the other way, as is typical here.

Most people do not know there is a major earthquake fault about 500 kms. off the southern coast of Thailand in the Andaman Sea which has a potential to cause considerable damage in Bangkok. Some building owners have taken action to retrofit their buildings, but the majority have not. If an 8.0 hits Bangkok, it would cause serious damage to the infrastructure.

Here is further info:

http://www.sott.net/article/232682-Bangkok-Lurking-danger-of-earthquakes

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/28465563/SEISMIC-HAZARD-IN-BANGKOK-DUE-TO-DISTANT-EARTHQUAKES

[Stan7444]

I was in a conference about earthquakes in Thailand and found although there are building codes pasted by the gov’t over 12 years ago which provide for strict regulations to contractors to design earthquake protection in especially high rise buildings, these codes are overlooked, not enforced (since will add up to 15% cost to building construction) and officials are paid to look the other way, as is typical here.

Most people do not know there is a major earthquake fault about 500 kms. off the southern coast of Thailand in the Andaman Sea which has a potential to cause considerable damage in Bangkok. Some building owners have taken action to retrofit their buildings, but the majority have not. If an 8.0 hits Bangkok, it would cause serious damage to the infrastructure.

Here is further info:

http://www.sott.net/article/232682-Bangkok-Lurking-danger-of-earthquakes

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/28465563/SEISMIC-HAZARD-IN-BANGKOK-DUE-TO-DISTANT-EARTHQUAKES

[sup3r1or]

Today I woke up at 7:50 am because of another earthquake here in CR. My fan flew off the wall onto the floor. Weird I woke up from vibrating sound but only 5 seconds later did everything start to move.

What baffles me yesterday after a big shake up, 30 mins later I saw planes taking off from CR airport like nothing happened. Arent they suppose to inspect runaway? Thats what they did in Chiang Mai for several hours.

[webfact]

Transport Minister assesses quake damage

CHIANG RAI, 6 May 2014 (NNT) — The Transport Minister has traveled to quake-hit Chiang Rai in order to assess the total damage the recent earthquake has caused to the northernmost region.

Transport Minister Chadchart Sittipunt traveled to Chaing Rai province in response to the 6.3-magnitude earthquake that ravaged through the area. He reported that many roads and transportation routes have been severely damaged and needed immediate fixing.

On the Mae Lao - Mae Saruay route, there are 3 spots that have been badly damaged by the quake. In the Ministry’s initial plan, all traffic will be redirected by local traffic police, whereas heavy trucks will be forced to use other routes instead.

So far, Chiang Rai has reported one casualty from the quake, an 83-year-old woman who was crushed by her home’s wall and died while receiving treatment in hospital.


-- NNT 2014-05-06

[boomerangutang]

The funny part of this is about 25 TV members were online reporting the earthquake instead of

getting out of their homes. Amazing Thailand, amazing farngs trying to play reporter for

TV.

Funny maybe, but when I felt it, I went outside. Then I came inside and made a post. And yes, perhaps some farang report 1st hand experiences for other media. Methinks you're a bit too cynical. A cockroach in your cheerios this morning?

[webfact]

Wat Rong Khun reported to be badly damaged by quake

CHIANG RAI, 6 May 2014 (NNT) — Wat Rong Khun, one of the most beautiful modern temples in Thailand, has reportedly been badly damaged by the recent quake in Chiang Rai province.

Temple designer and national artist Chalermchai Kositpipat revealed that the 6.3 magnitude earthquake that struck the province had dealt substantial damage to Wat Rong Khun, one of the province’s well-known temples.

The temple was only 23 kilometers away from the quake’s epicenter and many areas of the temple received damage, including the temple grounds, the grand hall, and the art gallery.

Mr. Chalermchai stated that the temple took 20 years to complete and would take at least another 2 years to repair all the damages afflicted by the recent quake. However, he assured that after the renovation, the temple would be restored to its former glory.

-- NNT 2014-05-06