Thirty-four earthquakes, with their magnitudes ranging from 2.5 to five, hit Kon Tum Province in Vietnam’s Central Highlands during Sunday through Monday morning, causing shakes felt in neighboring Thailand and Cambodia. 

After the first quake struck the province’s Kon Plong District at 3:12 am on Sunday, a series of other tremors followed suit, with the latest – the 34th – coming at 9:51 am on Monday, the Vietnam Government Portal reported, citing the Institute of Geophysics.

That means 34 quakes hit Kon Plong in about 30 hours, 21 of which were recorded on Sunday and 13 from early Monday until 9:51 am on the same day, according to the institute.

The strongest quake, measuring five on the Richter scale, occurred at 11:35 am on Sunday, causing shaking that was felt not only in Kon Tum but also in many other provinces and cities including Dak Lak, Hue, Da Nang, Quang Nam, and Binh Dinh. About 18 minutes earlier, a magnitude-4.1 tremor was also recorded.

The weakest of the 34 quakes registered at magnitude 2.5.

Although this area has frequently experienced earthquakes recently, such a high frequency of tremors is rare, the institute noted.

So far, the earthquakes have not caused serious damage to people or property, except for cracks in the walls of some houses and the fall of wall tiles and household items.

Many of these quakes shook the ground and houses, prompting residents to run out of their homes in panic.

A Lang, a Party leader of a mountainous village in Kon Tum, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that many villagers have become fearful of living in the area prone to quakes which may trigger landslides especially in rainy seasons.

The village has 340 residents belonging to 120 households, of which 70 live on the top of the highest mountain there. 

Many locals said they want to find flatter and safer land to build houses.

When the magnitude-five quake occurred, Lang was planting trees on a mountainous field and heard a loud bang like a bomb.

The aftershock from this earthquake could be felt not only in many domestic localities but also in some areas in Thailand and Cambodia.

“People living in Thailand’s north eastern provinces of Ubon Ratchathani and Sakhon Nakhon felt the vibrations of two earthquakes, which struck Vietnam today,” Thai Public Broadcasting Service reported on Sunday.

People living in high-rise condo buildings reported feeling tables shake and walls flex slightly.

According to Cambodia’s The Phnom Penh Post newspaper, the magnitude-five quake shook many areas in the country’s Ratanakkiri Province at noon on Sunday.

“Its impact left people in Cambodia visibly shaken, particularly in Banlung city’s Laban Siek commune and O'Yadav district’s Paknhai commune [all belonging to Ratanakkiri]," the newspaper said.

The earthquake also shook Bakeo and Andong Meas Districts of the province, according to The Phnom Penh Post.

Nguyen Xuan Anh, director of the Institute of Geophysics, told Tuoi Tre on Sunday that based on observations, the consecutive tremors in Kon Plong are considered induced earthquakes caused by human activities, such as the construction of reservoirs and hydropower dams, mining activities, or nuclear explosions.

From 1903 to 2020, over 30 earthquakes were recorded in Kon Tum, with the strongest reaching 3.9 on the Richter scale. However, since April 2021, hundreds of quakes have occurred in Kon Tum, including some stronger ones like those on Sunday, Anh cited the institute’s data.

According to preliminary studies, earthquakes in Kon Tum are forecast to continue in the coming time and are unlikely to be greater than a magnitude of 5.5.

The institute is currently deploying 11 earthquake monitoring stations in Kon Tum.

In Vietnam, tremors with magnitudes ranging from five to 5.9 are assessed as moderate and capable of causing minor to moderate damage.

Meanwhile, quakes with a magnitude of four to 4.9 are deemed small tremors.

Like us on Facebook or  follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!