One killed, roads, several buildings damaged in historic quake in Thai North

CHIANG RAI, THAILAND, May 6 (TNA) - An elderly woman was confirmed dead and local streets and several buildings were damaged in a 6.3-magnitude earthquake which hit the Thai North on Monday evening, the strongest quake in the Kingdom's history, followed by over 100 aftershocks so far. Updated reports said on Tuesday morning that the 83-year-old elderly woman was killed as her house collapsed, while several buildings, including local people's houses, department stores, temples and even hospitals, as well as streets in affected areas were damaged. A national artist, Chalermchai Kositpipat, the designer and builder of Rong Khun Temple in Muang District of Chiang Rai Province in the Upper Thai North, wellknown as the White Temple and said to be a most attractive site for international tourists, told reporters that the temple was greatly damaged and several aftershocks have continued, noting that the temple may be dismantled and he will not rebuild it. Associated Professor Samphan Singharatwaraphan, Dean of the Faculty of Science at Chiang Mai University, acknowledged that the 6.3 Richter earthquake, with its epicenter in Chiang Rai's Phan District, was the heaviest in Thailand and its aftershocks could end in a few days. Associated Professor Samphan pointed out that widespread damages from the powerful earthquake, covering those in several connected provinces, namely Chiang Mai, Lampang, Lamphun, Phrae, Nan and Uttaradit, show that Thailand and local people have not been prepared for coping with earthquakes, referring to both building construction and people's self-protection. The 6.3-magnitude quake, caused by movements of the active Phayao fault, occured at around 6:08pm on May 5, with its epicenter located some seven kilometers underground in Chiang Rai's Phan District, about 20 kilometers from Muang District, where the province's Mae Fah Luang International Airport is located. (TNA)