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Earthquakes
AsiaEast Asia

Rare quake in South Korea left 1,500 homeless, dozens injured and delayed exams

At least 57 people had been injured

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Debris from a nearby building lies on a street in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. Photo: EPA
Associated Press
A 5.4 magnitude earthquake that was South Korea’s second-strongest in decades damaged infrastructure, injured dozens of people and left about 1,500 homeless, officials said Thursday.

No deaths have been reported since the quake rattled the southeastern coastal region around the port city of Pohang on Wednesday afternoon.

As of Thursday morning, 1,536 people had been forced to evacuate their homes and 57 people were injured, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said in a statement.

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More than 1,000 houses and dozens of other buildings and cars were damaged or destroyed, and cracks and other damage were found in military facilities, bridges, port facilities and water supply facilities.

A car damaged by falling bricks. Photo: AFP
A car damaged by falling bricks. Photo: AFP
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Photos showed crumbled walls piled on damaged cars, broken windows and cracks in buildings.

The quake also forced the education ministry to put off the university entrance exam for one week because some buildings chosen as test venues had cracks and students in the southeastern region were displaced from their homes and complained of anxieties.

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