Buildings damaged as moderate earthquake hits Vietnam

~ Le Vięt Nam, aujourd'hui. ~
The Vietnam News

Buildings damaged as moderate earthquake hits Vietnam

HANOI - A rare earthquake believed to be the strongest in Vietnam in a decade damaged many houses and sent panicked residents into the streets, where they stayed all night to avoid aftershocks, an official said Tuesday. The moderate 5.3-magnitude quake, the worst to hit Lai Chau province since 1983, struck the town of Dien Bien Phu at 10:51 p.m. Monday night, said Ho Sy Lam of the provincial People's Committee. Aftershocks continued until Tuesday morning, he said.

Many houses were damaged, and several people were injured as they tried to escape from their homes, including some who jumped from balconies, Lam said. There were no reports of deaths. Some schools and office buildings damaged by the quake were closed Tuesday for inspection, he said. Lam said authorities were still assessing the damage. Dien Bien Phu was the site of a key victory by Vietnamese forces against French colonialist forces in 1954. After the quake, many residents of the town stayed on the streets all night and did not dare to go back into their houses until morning, Lam said.

"People in the whole town could not sleep for fear of another quake," he said. Earthquakes occur infrequently in Vietnam. An earthquake expert in Hanoi said the quake was the worst to hit Vietnam in a decade.

The Associated Press - February 21, 2001.

Damage from Vietnam earthquake estimated at $13 million

HANOI - About 20% of the houses in a town by a historic Vietnamese battleground were badly damaged by a rare earthquake early this week and will need to be demolished, officials said Wednesday. The 5.3-magnitude quake, which hit the northern province of Lai Chau late Monday night, caused $13 million in damage and injured two people, officials said. No deaths were reported. The quake was the worst to hit Vietnam in 18 years, said Le Tu Son, head of the Earthquake Observation Center of the Institute of Global Physics in Hanoi.

A woman broke several ribs and another received cuts on her face when they fell as panicked residents fled their houses after the quake, said Le Trong Do of the provincial People's Committee. The quake opened cracks in most government office buildings, schools and hospitals in Dien Bien Phu, and in about 80% of the town's houses, Do said. He said 20% of the homes were so badly damaged that they will need to be demolished.

Dien Bien Phu, 500 kilometers northwest of Hanoi, was the site of a famous battle in 1954 in which Vietnamese forces defeated French colonialist troops. It now has a population of 130,000. The earthquake was centered about 20 kilometers west of the town at a depth of 12 kilometers, Do said.

The Associated Press - February 21, 2001.