An earthquake measuring 3.3 on the Richter scale broke out this morning in the area of Song Tranh 2 hydropower plant in Bac Tra My District, central Quang Nam Province, where many quakes have occurred in the recent past.

>> 2,000 take part in earthquake response drill in Quang Nam >> Strongest-ever earthquake hits Quang Nam The quake occurred at 7:08:19 am Tuesday and lasted for several seconds, together with a small explosion and slight shakes of the ground, said Le Van Tuan, chief of the Secretariat of the district People’s Committee. The epicenter was located at about 5.5 km deep underground. There are no reports about property damage or casualties, said the Earthquake Information and Tsunami Warning Center under the Global Physics Institute. Since a few months ago, many slight quakes have continuously hit the area, and on August 28, a rehearsal of a response to an earthquake involving more than 2,000 people was conducted in the district.  The drill was conducted based on a scenario in which a 6.2-degree magnitude quake occurred at 6:30 am in Bac Tra My District, with its epicenter located in the reservoir area of the Song Tranh 2 hydropower plant.

The hypothetical disaster killed 50 people and injured 120 others in many areas. There were also 30 people reported missing. Speaking at the drill, Lieutenant General Tran Quang Khue, deputy chief of staff of the Vietnam People’s Army, said such an exercise is necessary to improve the readiness of all forces in responding to a quake.

The drill also helped strengthen coordination between forces in coping with a quake and in searching for and rescuing victims, he said.The strongest-ever quake in the district occurred on November 15, 2012, measuring 4.7 on the Richter scale. It lasted for several seconds, panicking thousands of locals, who rushed out of their houses.