Many residents in Bangkok and Nonthaburi on Monday (19 June) experienced tremors from a 6.0-magnitude earthquake that struck off the coast of Myanmar. Some schools and offices have evacuated people from the building where the tremors could be felt.
A video clip surfacing online shows swinging ceiling lamps caused by the tremors on the 8th floor of the Hydro-Informatics Institute’s office in Bangkok’s Bang Khen district. Staff members of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) were also seen fleeing the building.
According to the Meteorological Department, the earthquake occurred at 8:40 AM off the southern coast of Myanmar at a depth of 10 km below the earth’s surface. Tremors were reported in many areas of Bangkok including Asok, Lat Phrao, Krung Thep Kritha and Sam Yan, as well as areas in Nonthaburi.
The epicenter of the quake was the Sagaing Fault, a 1,200-km-long fault line that extends across Myanmar from north to south. The fault marks the border between the western Burma tectonic plate and the Shan-Thai plate, which move at the rate of 20 millimeters each year.
Later in the day, Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt and seismology experts revealed that the tremors detected by seismic sensors were at a very low level which all buildings in the city can withstand. He added the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) will be improving cooperation with seismic monitoring agencies to better alert the general public.
According to the governor, the BMA will also organize earthquake evacuation drills and raise public awareness on what to do in case of seismic activities, even though the chances of an earthquake occurring in Bangkok remain very low. (NNT)
