A shallow 6.1-magnitude earthquake hit northwestern Laos near the Thai border early yesterday, the United States Geological Survey reported, alarming locals who felt buildings shake as far away as Bangkok. The quake hit at 6:50am, roughly three hours after a 5.7-magnitude earthquake in the same region triggered an immediate suspension to Laos’ largest-capacity power plant located near its epicentre. Tremors could be felt more than 700 kilometres (435 miles) away in the Thai capital, where Pope Francis is currently on a four-day visit.
