Quake struck northern Thailand, felt by people in six provinces
An earthquake shook northern Thailand early Thursday morning and people in six provinces felt it, according to the Meteorological Department.
The Earthquake Observation Division of the department reported that the 4.5-magnitude quake was detected five kilometres underground in tambon Phai Lom of Phitsanulok’s Bang Krathum district at 12.17am.
People in Phitsanulok and the adjacent provinces of Phichit and Kamphaeng Phet felt the tremor.
People in Nakhon Sawan province in the lower North and the northeastern province of Loei also felt it, according to the division.
There were reports of new cracks at Wat Rat Chang Khwan in Muang district of Phichit. The Buddhist temple stands about 7km from the epicentre of the earthquake.
The Department of Mineral Resources attributed the quake to the movement of a hidden fault which had not been active for a century.
It said the earthquake was at a relatively shallow depth and was felt in the six provinces of Phitsanulok, Phichit, Kamphaeng Phet, Phetchabun, Nakhon Sawan and Loei, said the department.