[Tlc] L-earthquake

[justinm at ucr.edu]

News forwarded by Thiphasone Phimviengkham

Big earthquake in Laos shakes up Thailand but does little
damage.

>From AP on 2007-05-16 08:02:00 (posted on 2007-05-16 08:02:38)
    BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) _ Thousands of workers fled from
swaying high-rise office buildings in the Thai capital Bangkok
on Wednesday, as a big earthquake struck in western Laos,
about 750 kilometers (465 miles) to the north.
    There were no initial reports of major damage or
casualties from the quake, which was measured at magnitude 6.1
by U.S. Geological Survey and Thailand‘s Meteorological
Department, and was centered in a remote, sparsely settled region.
    The quake occurred at 3:56 p.m. (08:56 GMT) at a point 166
kilometers (103 miles) west-northwest of the Laotian city of
Luang Prabang, said the USGS.
    Many offices in Bangkok‘s business districts were
evacuated, with their panicky occupants gathered in the
street. Many went home early from work.
    The quake was felt more strongly in northern Thailand,
with Smith Dharmasaroja, chairman of the National Disaster
Warning Center, saying it had been the strongest one known to
hit the area.
    He told Thai TV Channel 3 there had been almost 10
aftershocks, and warned people not to return to cracked houses
for at least 24 hours. He said landslides were also a possible
threat.
    The quake was clearly felt in the northern Thai city of
Chiang Mai, a popular tourist destination 259 kilometers (161
miles) southwest of the epicenter, but a spokesman for the
Disaster Mitigation and Prevention Center there said there
were no reports of damage.
    A Lao Foreign Ministry spokesman, Yong Chanthalansy, said
by telephone from the Laotian capital Vientiane that the
earthquake lasted for about 10 seconds. He and another
resident of the capital said it was not felt there, 343
kilometers (213 miles) to the southeast.
    Yong said there were no initial reports of casualties from
the area and that there had been no panic.
    In Luang Prabang, several residents contacted by phone
described feeling ``disoriented‘‘ for a period of up to two
minutes by the shaking of the earth, while others noticed
nothing at all. No damage was immediately visible in the city.
A foreign businesswoman at her shop in the city center said
she felt ``almost drunk‘‘ following a tremor that caused a
chair to rock. The witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity,
since speaking to the press is discouraged in Laos‘ closed
society.
    In Chiang Saen district of Thailand‘s Chiang Rai province,
about 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the epicenter, a cement
and brass part from the top of the Jomkitti pagoda was damaged
and some decorative glass pieces fell off, but damage was not
extensive, said Prachon Pradsakul, director of the Disaster
Mitigation and Prevention Center.
    In Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai province, the border
area of Thailand nearest to the epicenter, district chief
Pongkan Piyapongtulakom said there were no initial reports of
damage or casualties but the officials were still surveying
buildings.
    ``We could feel it very strongly here,‘‘ he said. ``It
became stronger and went on for about five minutes. It was the
strongest I have felt and I have been here for more than seven
years.‘‘
    The temblor also was felt in Vietnam‘s capital of Hanoi _
hundreds of kilometers (miles) to the east _ but no injuries
were reported. It went largely unnoticed by many, but rattled
the upper floors of some buildings.
    At Vincom Tower, one of the tallest buildings in the city,
about 700 people raced to get out of the shopping center after
it began swaying, said Nguyen Thu Lan, a company spokeswoman.
    ``It was shaking for about three minutes, and I think this
was the strongest shaking we have ever felt,‘‘ she said.
``After the shaking stopped, many people who ran out wouldn‘t
dare to return.‘‘



______________
Dr. Justin McDaniel
Dept. of Religious Studies
2617 Humanities Building
University of California, Riverside
Riverside, CA 92521
951-827-4530
justinm at ucr.edu