4.8-magnitude earthquake strikes southern South Korea
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Students evacuating from classrooms at a high school in Gunsan, South Korea, as a 4.8-magnitude earthquake struck its nearby county of Buan earlier in the day on June 12.
PHOTOS: EPA-EFE
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SEOUL – A 4.8-magnitude earthquake struck in south-west South Korea on June 12, the country’s weather agency said, with witnesses reporting a “thunderous roar”, although no major damage was reported.
The quake struck four kilometres south of the county of Buan, which is around 205km south of Seoul, at 8.26am local time (7.26am Singapore time), according to the Korea Meteorological Administration.
An alert text message was sent to citizens nationwide, which advised those in affected areas to be cautious of possible falling objects and aftershocks.
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo instructed the government to implement “thorough” measures in response to the earthquake, with local reports saying that noise and shaking were also experienced in the cities of Sejong, Daejeon and Cheonan.
Buan resident Yang Seo-yeon told AFP she heard a “thunderous roar” while she was getting ready to go to work in the morning.
“It sounded as if I was in the middle of a huge construction site. Then my house started shaking.”
No significant damage had been reported as of the morning of June 12, according to authorities.
Unlike neighbouring Japan, the Korean peninsula rarely experiences significant quakes.
The country’s most powerful quake to date was a 5.8-magnitude tremor that struck Gyeongju, also in the south-east, in September 2016. AFP
