EARTHQUAKE STRIKES CHANGWON

[Anchor Lead]

A 2.3 magnitude earthquake struck the Changwon Gyeongsangnam-do Province in southeastern Korea around 11:30 last night. Reports of buildings shaking were filed but fortunately no casualties have been reported yet.

[Pkg]

A 2.3 magnitude earthquake struck Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do Province. It occurred at 11:33 p.m. Sunday local time. The epicenter is believed to be two kilometers east of Masan Hoiwon-gu District in Changwon and 9 kilometers deep. The earthquake caused level 3 tremors in the Gyeongnam region. At that level, a person inside a building, especially in high-rise structures, can feel the tremor while a vehicle at a standstill is shaken a little. The National Fire Agency received more than 230 reports of tremors from Changwon and nearby areas.

[Soundbite] Lee(Changwon Resident) : "I felt the living room floor shake violently for one second while I was watching TV."

Reports of loud noises and short tremors flooded online sites. However, no reports of damage or casualties have been received yet. The quake-affected areas must still be wary because aftershocks can come even after the tremors have stopped. Also, once the initial big tremors pass, people should turn off the gas and take fire prevention measures before evacuating. It is safer to use the stairs instead of elevators when exiting a building. So far this year, a total of twenty-two earthquakes greater than magnitude 2.0 have occurred in the Korean Peninsula.