SEOUL – A magnitude 4.8 earthquake cracked walls, spilled items from store shelves and caused other minor damage in a fishing community in southwestern South Korea on Wednesday, but no injuries have been reported.
The earthquake in Buan, which had an estimated depth of 8 kilometers (5 miles), was the strongest detected in South Korea this year.
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The National Fire Agency said it so far confirmed eight minor cases of property damage in Buan and the nearby city of Iksan, including cracked walls at homes and a warehouse, at least two broken wall tiles and at least one broken window. It was also strong enough to knock items off store shelves.
Jo Yoo-jin, an official at the North Joella province fire department, said officials received nearly 80 calls from area residents who felt the shaking. More than 200 other similar calls were placed by residents in other regions, including 38 in the central North Chungcheong province and seven in the country’s capital, Seoul, according to the National Fire Agency.
There were no reports of injuries as of Wednesday morning.
South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-Soo, the country’s No. 2 official behind President Yoon Suk Yeol, instructed officials to guard against the possibility of aftershocks and prepare for safely evacuating residents and protecting key infrastructure such as power plants and transportation networks.
South Korea’s Nuclear Safety and Security Commission said it assessed that the earthquake did not affect the safety at any of the country’s nuclear power plants and that it didn’t find any abnormalities after conducting emergency inspections.