Hanoi shakes as strong quake hits Chinese border province

The strong quake with its epicenter at a depth of 10 kilometers, occurred at 9.30 a.m. on Saturday in an area near China’s Yunnan, around 118 kilometers (73 miles) to the north of Muong Te District in the northern mountainous province of Lai Chau, the Institute of Geophysics said.

However, its tremors were felt at some high-rise buildings in Hanoi, around 450 kilometers to northwest of Lai Chau.

Hoang Thi Thanh Hoai, 43, she was on the 23rd floor of the Hanoi Tower at around 9.30 a.m. and felt the building shake slightly for around 30 seconds. Light bulbs and other items also trembled.

“I felt as if I was suffering from low blood pressure and felt frightened, I had to lie under the table,” Hoai said.

Many residents living on the 10th floor of the Times City Apartment Complex in Hai Ba Trung District also experienced similar feelings.

Hundreds of construction workers at a 26-storey building on Luong Yen Street in the district screamed and rushed out of the site when the tremors took place.

Several people at nearby buildings rushed out following the screaming.

Police officers were dispatched to the scene and blocked off the area to prevent local residents from approaching the building.

The building’s investor was asked to halt construction to ensure workers’ safety.

Meanwhile, Ha Trong Hai, a senior Lai Chau official, said the province received information about the earthquake and felt some tremors, but Muong Te District suffered no damage.

Another earthquake reaching 4.0 on the Richter scale struck the area near the China-Vietnam border yesterday, around 4 kilometers from Muong Te District.

Seismologists have said that Vietnam’s geographic location near fault lines puts it at risk of moderate earthquakes.