Kota Kinabalu: A powerful earthquake struck Mindanao in southern Philippines Thursday morning, sending tremors that were felt as far as Sabah and Labuan.
The 10.13am earthquake, measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale, had its epicentre located 154km southeast of Isabela City at coordinates 6.1° North and 123.3° East, with a depth of 632km.
Malaysian authorities quickly assured the public that there was no tsunami threat to the country. The Malaysian Meteorological Department promptly issued updates through its official channels and earthquake monitoring website.
In response to the tremors, the Fire and Rescue Department mobilised teams to conduct building evacuations and safety checks across several districts in Sabah, including Kota Kinabalu, Penampang, Tawau, Sandakan, Ranau and Kota Belud.
In Kota Kinabalu, three fire engines with crew were dispatched to key locations such as the Kota Kinabalu City Hall building, Wisma Wanita and Menara Kinabalu.
In KOTA KINABALU, workers in high-rise buildings were “shaken but not stirred” for between 10 seconds and a minute by tremors.
Administrative assistant Evelyn Octavia, 38, who was on the 32nd floor of Menara Kinabalu, said the tremors felt at 10.15am were initially not too strong but shook the staff in the high-rise building.
“I saw my coffee cup move and the table shook for 10 seconds as well. But there was no damage so it was just fear because we had a strong earthquake in 2015. We all hurried downstairs and left the building to gather outside,” she said.
Public Relations Officer Mohamad Alfian Adli, 27, who was on duty at the 15th floor of Menara Tun Mustapha, said the tremors were felt by staff on the upper floors, but not so much by staff lower down such as the ground and first floors.
“I was also surprised because when Mindanao is hit (by an earthquake) it is usually the east coast that feels it, but this time we on the west coast also felt it. Thank God, it didn’t last long and did not cause damage or injuries,” he said.
In TAWAU, the tremors were also unmistakably felt by federal staff who were on the top floor of the Wisma Persekutuan (Federal) as did Pharmaceutical officer Ooi Kah Geap, 45, who felt the tremors at 10.15am when he was on the seventh floor of the building.
“The first tremor was quite strong and after that it was slow and slower, the tremor was felt for about a minute. At that time, I sat down and saw the water in the cup shaking, my eight colleagues also felt the tremor,” he said.
According to his assessment based on his experience, Thursday morning’s tremor was the second occurrence which was felt after 2022, but Thursday’s tremor was the strongest felt after the deadly 2015 Sabah earthquake.
Federal Wisma building chairman Amir Kanje said the Tawau fire and rescue station was contacted at 10.30am after three tremors occurred within a period of about one minute in the building.
“I also made a request for all occupants to evacuate the building after the third tremor. The average worker on the fifth to seventh floor felt the tremors. The building is currently closed and will re-open at 2pm,” he said.
