UPDATE
A number of Phuketwan readers in Rawai have commented that they definitely felt Saturday evening's earthquake.
Original Report
AN EARTHQUAKE in the Andaman Sea off Phuket tonight of magnitude 4.4 caused no damage and was not felt on Phuket, according to the Phuket Director of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, San Janthawong.
The earthquake came about 6.15pm. Khun San said he was awaiting details from the National Disaster Warning Centre in Bangkok.
The NDWC later told Phuketwan the epicentre of the earthquake was 88 kilometres off Phuket in a south-easterly direction, at a depth of seven kilometres.
The centre is providing details at the telephone number 192.
Phuket lies in an earthquake zone and large buildings constructed on Phuket in modern times have extra-deep foundations to account for the possibility of an earthquake.
The December 26, 2004, Indian Ocean tsunami that killed 5400 people on Phuket and along the Andaman coast was generated by an earthquake that measured 9.0, the same magnitude as the earthquake that triggered the tsunami which struck Japan on March 11.
A disaster relief and humanitarian aid conference involving representatives from 24 countries ended yesterday on Phuket.
One reader emailed:
The Official denial that this Saturday's earthquake was even felt here was stupid and potentially dangerous...and made even more ridiculous as this very week there had been an Earthquake and Tsunami conference here on the island.
Measuring 4.8 and located just 80k from Phuket it was certainly felt in Chalong yesterday late afternoon.
I have experienced several in California and Japan. This one tipped over plates on my kitchen drying rack and slopped considerable amounts of water out of my pool on to the deck.
I feel it is irresponsible of the official concerned to deny it was felt here....these potentially life threatening events need facts not politics. Mike Roberts
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I felt it sitting on my balcony in Rawai.
Posted by richie on April 30, 2011 21:25