BANGKOK, 6 May 2015 – The government has calmed public worries about a possible powerful earthquake in Thailand, saying that existing fault lines in the country are not large enough to cause a destructive quake.
In the wake of a medium earthquake on Ko Yao in Phang Nga province earlier in the morning, the PM’s Office Spokesperson Capt. Dr. Yongyuth Mayalarp said the chance that a tremor measuring over 7 on the Richter scale would occur in the country was rare, since all 14 active fault lines are relatively small.
According to Capt. Dr. Yongyuth, the Department of Mineral Resources has published a map of quake-prone areas and has educated residents in the areas on how to protect themselves. The Tsunami warning equipment which was installed in provinces along the Andaman Sea, can send out a warning an hour before the arrival of a Tsunami, so that people can escape to a safe place in time.
The Department of Mineral Resources pointed out that the 4.6 magnitude in Phang Nga was triggered by the Khlong Marui Fault, which extends from Surath Thani, Phang Nga and Phuket. The fault line has caused three small quakes since January. However, local people could hardly feel them.
The Meteorological Department meanwhile detected a 3.2 magnitude aftershock at an epicenter depth of one kilometer on Ko Yao in Phangnga in the afternoon. There has been no report of damage.
