Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on July 27 sent an urgent notice asking relevant units to address any consequences of recent earthquakes in the northern provinces of Son La, Lai Chau and Hoa Binh.

The earthquakes occurred on July 27 afternoon with its epicentre at a depth of 14 kilometres recorded in Moc Chau district, Son La.  

According to the Institute of Geophysics under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, the earthquakes occurred on July 27 afternoon with its epicentre at a depth of 14 kilometres recorded in Moc Chau district, Son La. A 5.3-magnitude quake hit Moc Chau district at 12:15 on the day.

The PM sent his regards to authorities and people in these affected areas and urged relevant agencies to stand ready  for search and rescue work in case of any incident to ensure human safety.

He asked the provincial People’s Committees to provide people, especially those in ethnic minority areas, with response skills, as well as check irrigation and hydropower works to promptly address any incidents.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Industry and Trade were tasked to check safety of large dams in affected locations.

The National Committee for Disaster Response and Search and Rescue, the Ministry of National Defence, and the Ministry of Public Security are responsible for deploying forces to support quake-hit localities.

The PM requested the Vietnam Television, the Voice of Vietnam, and mass media agencies to increase dissemination of earthquake response skills to prevent and mitigate damage.