Earthquake shakes off Ho Chi Minh City
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According to the United States Geological Survey’s (USGS) Earthquake Hazards Program, an earthquake measuring 4.8 on the Richter scale occurred offshore Vietnam today at 2:24pm (185km from Ho Chi Minh City) with the following details:
+ Magnitude: 4.8
+ Date-Time:
Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at 07:24:28 UTC
Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at 02:24:28 PM at epicenter
+ Location: 9.910°N, 108.138°E
+ Depth: 10 km (6.2 miles) set by location program
+ Region: East Sea
+ Distances:
185 km (115 miles) ESE of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
285 km (175 miles) SSW of Nha Trang, Vietnam
930 km (580 miles) ESE of Bangkok, Thailand
1260 km (780 miles) SSE of Hanoi, Vietnam
Many office workers in Ho Chi Minh City sensed shakes at their workplaces. Some even rushed out of their offices and only returned to work when the movements were over.
Duong Thanh Huy, a software developer at a Swiss IT firm near the Tan Son Nhat International Airport, toldTuoitrenews he initially thought of jumping from the tenth floor where he was working because the whole building waggled violently.
Huy, who is the first person to report the earthquake to Tuoitrenews, said that most of his colleagues were truly frightened.
Anh Hong, working in the Centec Tower in District 3, said she was working when her chair slightly shook this afternoon. She added many of her colleagues also felt minor tremors at the same time.
Deputy director of a real estate company in District 1 Luu Viet Hung told Tuoitrenews that he could discern clear shakes in his office that lasted about 1-3 minutes.
He added that some of his friends working in nearby Me Linh Point Tower dashed out of their workplaces after perceiving stronger and more obvious wobbles.
“The quake happened quickly but we can feel it very well.”
Phong, an employee of a PR agency in District 3, said he saw the glass wall separating the reception area and the work space vibrating for a while as papers and other stationery items were moving on the desks.
In the meantime, his co-worker Tran said her legs suddenly jerked up unconsciously.
Other people in District 1 and 3 and Phu Nhuan District reported obvious vibrations in their houses as well.
The most recent earth tremor occurred on June 23 last year offshore Binh Thuan Province’s Phan Thiet city, measuring 4.7 on the Richter scale and sending level-4 seismic shakes to Ho Chi Minh City.
