HCMC – A magnitude-3.7 earthquake struck Kon Plong District in Kon Tum Province yesterday, November 8, with the epicenter at a depth of 8.1 kilometers, according to the Institute of Geophysics.

The quake posed no risk of a natural disaster, the institute said. Kon Plong has been struck by hundreds of minor quakes with magnitudes ranging from 2.4 to 4.7 since last year. A few months ago, this Central Highlands district was shaken by a magnitude-4.7 quake on August 23, the strongest in recent years. Previously, a magnitude-4.5 quake hit the district on April 18. Last month, nine tremors measuring 2.8 to 3.7 were reported in Kon Plong. Within the first week of November, the area was struck by four tremors. The quakes have increased in frequency and strength over time. Until now, no casualties or property damage caused by the quakes have been reported, but they have affected daily life. Nguyen Xuan Anh, head of the Institute of Geophysics, said the institute in June this year dispatched its employees to Kon Plong to install more earthquake monitoring stations to further study the quakes and issue early warnings. By September 9, Kon Tum had completed setting up three more monitoring stations at the Thuong Kon Tum hydropower dam, raising the total number of stations in the dam area to six. The head of the institute advised local authorities and residents to pay much heed to earthquake-resistant factors in construction. Besides, the authorities should regularly provide local people with measures to avert and minimize the damage caused by strong quakes.