A major earthquake in Myanmar may damage buildings in Bangkok that were built before the nation's building codes were revised in 2007 to make them more quake-resistant, according to the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) on Tuesday.
The warning came after a 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar's southern coastal area on Monday morning. The quake, the epicentre of which was about 490 kilometres west of Bangkok, could be felt in many high-rise buildings across the capital and Nonthaburi.
DMR chief, Oranuj Lorphensri, said the quake's epicentre was along the 1,200-kilometre-long Sagaing fault in Myanmar, which is one of the region's most active seismic fault lines.
Tectonic activities along the fault have resulted in major earthquakes in the past, with 10 temblors measuring over 6.8 magnitude reported between 1905-2012 -- the strongest of which struck in 1912, measuring 7.9 magnitude.
According to the latest forecast by the DMR, a major quake measuring at least 7.5 magnitude is likely to happen around the year 2030.
"The quake will have an impact on our capital. Older buildings might sustain some minor damage, like small cracks. But the quake won't have a major impact on newer structures," she said.
According to the department, there are 16 active faults in Thailand which pass through 23 provinces, some of which have caused small earthquakes in the past, such as the Srisawat fault in Kanchanaburi, the Mae Hong Son fault in the North and the Ranong fault in the South.
Out of all earthquakes reported between 1912-2022, six originated along Thailand's own faults, while 46 happened along faults located elsewhere in the region, such as Myanmar and China's Yunnan province.
Meanwhile, Tanit Jaisa-ard, a civil engineering expert of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), said that City Hall's Department of Public Works, Town and Country Planning has rules in place to ensure the safety of high-rise buildings in case of an earthquake.
He insisted that the buildings in the capital constructed after 2007, especially high-rise condominiums and office buildings, are strong enough to resist earthquakes. The department is planning to inspect older buildings which are five stories or higher that were built before 2007, he said.