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(5th LD) Rare 5.4-magnitude earthquake strikes southeastern Korea

All News 19:11 November 15, 2017

(ATTN: RECASTS lead; ADDS more info)

POHANG/SEOUL, Nov. 15 (Yonhap) -- A rare 5.4-magnitude earthquake struck the southeastern city of Pohang on Wednesday afternoon, damaging buildings, breaking windows and sending people running from homes.

Tremors were felt as far as Seoul hundreds of kilometers away. At least 10 sustained light injuries but there were no reports of casualties or serious damages to facilities including nearby nuclear power plants.

The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said the quake was centered in an area some 9 kilometers north of the industrial city on the southeastern coast with a shallow depth of 9 kilometers. It occurred at around 2:29 p.m. and a series of aftershocks followed.

(5th LD) Rare 5.4-magnitude earthquake strikes southeastern Korea - 1

It marked the second-strongest quake since the country began to monitor seismic records in 1978, according to the weather agency. Korea's biggest magnitude 5.8 earthquake hit Gyeongju, near Pohang, last year.

But residents felt more powerful impact this time than the Gyeongju earthquake due to the shallow depth.

"We understand that the quake occurred at a shallower location than the one that hit Gyeongju," a KMA official said. "The shallower the depth is, the greater the vibration gets on the ground."

The weather agency said that aftershocks may continue to occur over the next few months while ruling out the possibility of the quake triggering tidal waves.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety sent six officials to the affected region to assess and manage the aftermath of the quake.

It also plans to check and ensure the safety of school buildings in the affected region where high-schoolers take the state-administered college entrance exam on Thursday.

President Moon Jae-in, upon returning from a trip to Southeast Asia, held a meeting with his senior secretaries and ordered thorough examination of key industrial facilities including nuclear reactors. He told officials to prepare against any emergencies and take measures to ensure students taking the test are not affected.

The quake was felt across the nation, including Seoul about 374 km away from Pohang, as well as the island of Jeju, sparking a flood of reports of buildings shaking, books falling from shelves and frames falling off walls.

(5th LD) Rare 5.4-magnitude earthquake strikes southeastern Korea - 4

The region is also home to nuclear power plants, but the reactors are working normally, officials said. The nuclear waste disposal facility in Gyeongju and steelmaker POSCO's plant in Pohang are also showing normal operations, they said.

But the quake caused damage to a series of buildings in Pohang.

Some buildings, including one at Handong Global University, saw part of their outer walls come off and fall to the ground, damaging cars parked below. Some other buildings developed cracks. Many windows were also seen broken in the wake of the quake.

Seven people sustained light injuries associated with the quake, according to the National Fire Agency, but no further details were available. Firefighters also rescued dozens of people, including some of them stranded in elevators, the agency said.

The quake also caused disruptions in Internet and other communication services in the region.

(5th LD) Rare 5.4-magnitude earthquake strikes southeastern Korea - 3

About 100 residents of an apartment complex near the epicenter fled their homes to safer areas after the quake hit. Some were wearing only short-sleeve shirts as they hurried out on the coldest day yet this fall.

"Frames hanging on a wall fell to the floor and books fell from shelves," a 40-year resident of the apartment complex said. "All this happened in an instant and I was surprised."

Students at a nearby elementary school were seen evacuating classrooms.

Nearly 6,000 phone calls flooded regional fire stations across the nation, with people reporting that their homes shook and many of them asking if it was indeed an earthquake.

"I, along with my daughter, raced down the stairs as the doors and windows of my house on the fourth floor rattled for minutes," Cho Mi-yeon, a 64-year-old resident in Changwon, said. "Some 20 minutes later, I returned home and then packed some clothes to bring out with me in case of aftershocks."

Political parties called on the government to promptly handle the aftermath of the quake.

"The authorities should make all-out efforts to minimize the damage and carry out the restoration work," said Back Hye-ryun, the spokeswoman of the ruling Democratic party.

(5th LD) Rare 5.4-magnitude earthquake strikes southeastern Korea - 2

(END)

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