© Denis Balibouse / Reuters
A magnitude five earthquake has been detected close to a nuclear site in North Korea, after reports saying that the country was preparing for its fifth nuclear test. There has been no confirmation that a nuclear test has been actually carried out.
Dr. Jeffrey Lewis, the former Director of the Nuclear Strategy and Nonproliferation Initiative at the New America Foundation, told The Daily Beast that this was a nuclear test.
"It is unclear how big it is," Lewis said. "USGS (United States Geological Survey) says it is 5.3, which is about 20-30 kilotons. That would be the largest DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) test ever. South Korean and Chinese sources show it being much smaller, 5.0, which would be smaller than the past two tests."