The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) in Phuket said that there was no likelihood of a tsunami from the 5.3-Richter temblor at 7am.
A DDPM officer told The Phuket News that the quake, centred about 260 kilometers south of Phuket, could be felt on the island.
“People in Phuket could feel it this morning but there is no need for concern as a tsunami is generated by an earthquake of at least 7 on the Richter scale and with a centre no more than 10 kilometers below the earth’s surface. This one was 24 kilometres deep.”