4.2-magnitude earthquake hits Kon Tum’s Kon Plong district

A 4.2-magnitude earthquake hit Kon Plong district, the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum, on August 20, the Earthquake Information and Tsunami Warning under the Institute of Geophysics reported.

It occurred at 13:05 at 14.913 degrees North latitude, 108.226 degrees East longitude, and a focal depth of about 8.1 km. The level of natural disaster risk is zero.

Earlier the same day, two consecutive quakes of respective magnitude of 3.4 and 3.8 with a focal depth of about 8.1 km also occurred in the same district. They caused no casualties or property damage.

Earthquakes have occurred regularly in Kon Plong since 2021. According to Director of the Institute of Geophysics Dr. Nguyen Xuan Anh, Kon Tum in general and Kon Plong in particular belongs to a small fault, which see earthquakes with magnitude not exceeding 5.0. Although occurring frequently, the earthquake level in this area is not at a risk warning level, he said.

The official pledged that the institute will regularly provide update on earthquakes to local administration and residents, while keeping a close watch on data of the phenomena in this area.

Dr. Anh advised that when an earthquake occurs, people should hold on to a door frame or crawl under a table if they are in a sturdy building. If they are outdoors, they should stay away from power lines and poles and move to an open area. If they are driving, they should try to pull over to the side of the road and stop./.

VNA