Muong Te District in the northern mountainous province of Lai Chau was struck by a 2.5-magnitude earthquake at 3:47 a.m. on the morning of June 17, making it the third earthquake to hit the province in three days.

A building is partially damaged by the earthquake in Lai Chau
– Photo: Baolaichau.vn 

The epicenter of the earthquake was located some 13 kilometers underground, VnExpress news site reported. Nguyen Xuan Anh, director of the Institute of Geophysics, said the province was likely to witness aftershocks and larger earthquakes in the coming time.

Stating that the institute has sent experts to Muong Te for a deeper investigation and measurement, he asked locals to stay away from affected constructions.

Mai Van Thach, chairman of the district, said the residents experienced dozens of tremors since June 16 afternoon.

On June 16, a 4.9-magnitude earthquake with its epicenter located some 12 kilometers underground hit the district at 1:12 p.m. The incident injured four children at a local kindergarten and partially damaged 22 houses.

On June 15, a 3.3-magnitude earthquake struck the district at 11:43 p.m., with its epicenter located some 8 kilometers underground.

According to Nguyen Xuan Anh, earthquakes often occur in Lai Chau because the province is located on a fault line. The largest earthquake of 6.8 magnitude was reported in the province in 1983.