Thanongsak Taothong, Expert Meteorologist with the TMD’s Earthquake Monitoring Division in Bangkok, said there were no impacts or dangers to Phuket.
“We’re just monitoring the situation. There are no immediate impacts. Phuket is under surveillance,” he told The Phuket News.
“Don’t panic. The tremors may have been felt only in tall buildings. However, there are no impacts or dangers. Phuket has not been affected. This is just a preliminary report,” he said.
The confirmation followed reports from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) and the TMD that a 6.0-magnitude quake (initially estimated at 6.4) had struck at 11:56am off the southern coast of Sumatra.
The quake occurred at a depth of 10 kilometres, approximately 661km from Phuket.
The Earthquake Watch Division, the TMD and the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) confirmed they had been monitoring the tremor for any tsunami threat to the Andaman coast.
The NDWC said it maintains 24-hour monitoring, integrating data from domestic and international agencies. If any hazardous situation is detected, warnings will be issued immediately to Provincial Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Command Centres and to residents in at-risk areas.