Chiang Mai rocked by mild quake
A Buddhist monk points at a long line of cracks on a 300-year-old Buddha statue inside Rong Or Temple hall in Chiang Mai’s Muang district after a 4.5-magnitude earthquake shook the northern city yesterday.
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A mild earthquake hit this northern province yesterday, causing panic in some areas.
A number of people were seen rushing out of high buildings following the 4.5-magnitude quake. But there were no reports of casualties. Although the quake's epicentre was in Chiang Mai's Mae Rim district, other parts of the North also felt the effects. In Chiang Mai's Muang district, the tremor caused a long line of cracks on a large Buddha statue at the Rong Or Temple. Standing at 2.5 metres high, the statue is more than 300 years old. "The repair and renovation of the statue was completed just three days ago. Now, the cracks have appeared again," the temple's abbot Phra Sithon Sirithammo said. When the last quake shook Chiang Mai last month, the statue sustained more cracks. The abbot said many vases and candle holders also fell off tables at the temple during the quake. Dr Samphan Singharajraja-waraphan from Chiang Mai University said recent earthquakes in the North warranted serious study. "This is not normal given the fact that there has been no earthquake here prior to this," he said. Samphan said yesterday's quake stemmed from a faultline under Chiang Mai.
The Nation Chiang Mai
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