TAWAU: No structural damage was detected following a strong earthquake that struck the Minahassa Peninsula in Sulawesi on Saturday.
The 6.1 magnitude tremor occurred about 28km from Tawau at 8.51pm.
Tawau Fire and Rescue Station Chief, Jemishin Ujin, confirmed this assessment after his team conducted monitoring operations at several key locations throughout the district.
“We deployed a team of five personnel to monitor various important sites, particularly Tawau Hospital, hotels, financial institutions and petrol kiosks, after receiving emergency calls at 9.11pm,” he said.
According to the Malaysian Meteorological Department website, tremors from the earthquake were felt in Tawau, Lahad Datu and Semporna, besides surrounding areas. However, officials confirmed there was no tsunami threat to Malaysia.
Meanwhile, observations on several active social media platforms in the district found numerous comments from residents reporting they had experienced strong tremors lasting several seconds.
Among those who felt the tremor were residents in Batu 4 Jalan Apas, Kg Pasir Putih, People’s Housing Projects (PPR) Sri Balung, Sri Apas and Sri Titingan and Kg Inderasabah.
