Researcher sounds Thai quake alarm

Thailand is at risk of moderate earthquakes following a 7.4-magnitude temblor off northeastern Japan yesterday, an academic warned yesterday.

Asst Prof Passakorn Pananont, who is conducting research into seismic risk reduction in Thailand at the Thailand Research Fund (TRF), said areas around Bangkok could be hit by moderate quakes resulting from the 7.4 magnitude tremor that struck off the northeastern coast of Japan yesterday morning.

The quake also triggered a 1.4-metre tsunami in Sendai.

Last week, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocked central New Zealand, creating 1-metre tsunami that hit the country’s northeast coast.

Asst Prof Passakorn, who also works at Kasetsart University’s Earth Sciences Department, said both countries where the earthquakes occurred sit on the Ring of Fire, an area in the Pacific Ocean where many quakes and volcanic eruptions occur.

The two temblors could trigger a chain reaction that could hit Thailand even though they occurred far away, he said.

Thailand could experience a moderate quake similar to the 6.2 magnitude quake that caused extensive damage in Chiang Rai two years ago, Asst Prof Passakorn said.

Meanwhile, no Thais in Japan were killed or injured in yesterday’s quake, according to Thai embassy officials in Tokyo.

The embassy asked Thais to monitor news reports about aftershocks and strictly follow instructions issued by Japanese authorities.

On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.0 quake struck off Japan’s northeastern coast sparking a massive tsunami that swept ashore leaving at least 19,000 people dead.