Chiang Rai News
Northern Thailand Shaken By a Series of 70 Earthquakes
People in northern Thailand, especially Chiang Rai, felt tremors from about 70 earthquakes in Myanmar overnight, which included three shocks over magnitude 5.
The Meteorological Department’s Earthquake Observation Division reported that people in the North felt an earthquake beginning at 11.40pm with a magnitude of 5.1. The earthquake was located four kilometres underground in Myanmar, about 80 kilometres northeast of Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai district.
In the early morning hours of Friday, earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.4 were recorded three kilometres underground, 87km north of Mae Sai.
At 5.38am, a 5.3-magnitude earthquakes was detected four kilometres underground 82km northeast of Mae Sai.
Earthquake Observation Division reports that tremors were felt in Chiang Rai, Phayao, and Chiang Mai provinces.
In Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai, Phan, Mae Lao, Muang and Chiang Khong districts and Chiang Mai’s Muang district, residents reported that their houses shook briefly.
As of Friday morning, there were 70 shocks from earthquakes in total, which continued until 8.43am.
Chiang Rai Earthquakes
Meanwhile, an expert said that Chiang Rai is at risk of being hit by a big earthquake as the province sits on the three main fault lines in May 2017.
Mr. Suwit Kosuwan, representing the Mineral Resources Department (MRD), predicted a high probability of an earthquake striking Chiang Rai province.
In Mae Suai district, experts from the department inspected the “Mae Lao” fault lines in Dongmada Sub-District Administrative Organisation earlier this year, which were deemed an earthquakes risk zones.
According to Mr. Suwit, there are three active fault lines in the province: Mae Chan, Mae Lao, and Mae Ing.
He added that the Mae Chan fault line, which spans more than 150km, could trigger a powerful earthquake of 7.0 magnitude, which could shake several districts in Mae Chan, Mae Sai, Chiang Saen, and Chiang Khong.
He said that the Mae Suai district, where Mae Lao fault lines are found, is unlikely to experience earthquakes.
Chiang Rai was struck by an earthquake of 6.3 magnitudes in May 2014. As a result of the earthquake, windows were smashed, walls and roads cracked, and Buddhist temples were damaged. One person was killed, and several dozen were injured.
