Magnitude 5.1 seismic disturbance recorded in North Korea

South Korean, U.S., Chinese and European geological authorities have detected an natural disaster at around 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday from an area in the North where its nuclear facility is located.

The South Korean weather agency said it saw signs of an “artificial quake” near the North Korean nuke test site. The country conducted all three previous atomic detonations there.

This image provided by the U.S.-Korea Institute at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies via 38 North and via a satellite image from Centre National dÉtudes Spatiales and Airbus Defense & Space, shows a satellite image dated October 25, 2015, of what appears to be a new tunnel under mountains where North Korea conducts nuclear test explosions. A confirmed test would mark another big step toward Pyongyang’s goal of building a warhead small enough to be mounted on a missile capable of reaching mainland America’s shores.

Beijing is a close ally of Pyongyang but relations have become more strained in recent years, in part because of the North’s persistence with its nuclear programme in the face of global condemnation.

In February 2013, a nuclear test 24 kilometres from Sungjibaegam triggered another magnitude 5.1 tremor.