Xayaboury earthquake damage estimated at 2 billion kip

Damage to property in Hongsa and Xaysathan districts of Xayaboury province has been estimated at over 2 billion kip after at least 300 families were affected by an earthquake last week.
Director of the province’s Labour and Social Welfare Department, Mr Nouphone Xaypanyachith, said two earthquakes measuring 6.4 and 5.9 on the Richter scale struck the districts of Hongsa and Xaysathan on November 21, injuring eight people.
A total of 134 families in 17 villages in Hongsa district were affected, while 71 houses, 11 schools, 12 temples, four hospital centres, and two offices suffered varying degrees of damage.  Seven other houses were damaged beyond repair and 24 families suffered damage to their belongings. The total property damage in Hongsa has been estimated at 1.1 billion kip.
Meanwhile, 169 families in 18 villages of Xaysathan district were affected and three people were injured. Sixteen houses were damaged beyond repair, 29 houses sustained moderate damage, and 124 houses were slightly affected. Eight offices and over one kilometre of road also sustained structural damage.
Damage to property in Xaysathan district has been estimated at 976 million kip.
Mr Nouphone said provincial authorities and army personnel were helping people to carry out repairs but construction materials were needed for this work, especially zinc, roofing tiles, cement, bricks and nails.
The epicentre of the quakes was recorded in Laos at a depth of 5 kilometres and about 19km southeast of Nam Chang village in Chalerm Prakiat district in Thailand’s Nan province.
According to the Meteorology and Hydrology Department, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, there were 18 earthquakes in total, with two being particularly strong.
The first took place at 4:03am and registered 5.9 on the Richter scale in central Hongsa district, about 38km from the provincial capital, close to the Thai border. This was followed by another at 6:50am with a magnitude of 6.4. The second quake was felt in every district of the province but most strongly in central Hongsa district and Xaysathan.

ByPhomphong Laoin
(Latest Update November 28, 2019)