On Thursday (16 May), a moderate earthquake hit Mongolia’s southwest province of Bayankhongor. According to the Mongolian National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Zag soum occurred at 5.46 p.m. (local time). Tremors from the earthquake were felt across the province, said officials. However, there were no immediate reports of any damage or loss of lives.

Bayankhongor Province is the most active seismic zone of Mongolia; earthquakes have been registered as reaching 7-8 magnitudes.

In recent years, the number of earthquakes in Mongolia has been increasing. There were 203 reported earthquakes and tremors in 2014, this rose to 542 in 2015 and 1136 in 2016. For this reason, NEMA has been organizing public awareness drills, so people will know exactly what to do if they experience an earthquake.