Thailand feels 12 aftershocks after Myanmar quake

A total of 12 aftershocks were registered following the massive 8.2-magnitude earthquake near Mandalay in Myanmar on Friday afternoon, the Thai Meteorological Department’s Earthquake Observation Division said.

The first quake, 8.2-magnitude at the depth of 10 kilometres, was reported at around 1.20pm near Mandalay, some 392 kilometres from Mae Hong Son’s Pang Mapha district in Thailand, the centre said.

After the first quake, 12 aftershocks have been observed so far, as follows:

• 1.32pm: 7.1 magnitude  
• 1.45pm: 5.5 
• 2.24pm: 4.0 
• 2.37pm: 5.2 
• 2.42pm: 3.9 
• 2.57pm: 4.7 
• 3.21pm: 4.0 
• 3.45pm: 3.7 
• 3.52pm: 3.8 
• 4.26pm: 4.3 
• 4.30pm: 4.5 
• 4.55pm: 4.9

The Department of Mineral Resources said on Friday that aftershocks will be smaller than the main earthquake and will gradually decrease in intensity until they stop entirely, which may sometimes take a few weeks. 

The department also said there should not be any significant tremors felt in Thailand for now, though it did admit that it is not possible to accurately predict when an earthquake will occur. However, it said, alerts can be sent out for subsequent aftershocks or tremors.