Tremors from a moderate earthquake in North Sumatra, Indonesia, were felt by residents in Penang, particularly in coastal areas. Penang Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) director Mohamad Shoki Hamzah confirmed that the department received two reports of tremors believed to be linked to the earthquake.
“So far, the fire department has received two phone calls from members of the public in a residential area in Block 1, Taman Selatan in Jelutong and a hotel in George Town at 5.15 pm this evening reporting tremors in their residential area,” said Mohamad Shoki Hamzah. Fire officers were dispatched to the sites to conduct further inspections. The operations commander reported that the locations were safe and there was no structural damage to the buildings involved.
He also noted that the fire department continues to monitor the situation to ensure no premises or buildings are affected by the tremors caused by the earthquake.
Fatin Syafiqah Ahmad Rozi, a resident of Apartment Desa Baiduri in Farlim, said she and her family, who reside on the 10th floor, also felt the tremors for several minutes but initially thought she had a headache. She explained that other family members experienced the tremors as well, and a neighbour, also affected, came by to ask if anything was wrong, such as tremors or nearby construction.
“The tremors were felt twice but only for a few minutes, we didn’t know yet that there was an earthquake in Indonesia and the neighbours had called us to go down because we were afraid something would happen, at that time we saw several other residents coming out of their houses,” she said.
Nur Hafizah Mustafa, 42, residing in an apartment in Jelutong, stated that the tremors were strong enough to move several items in her home. She immediately checked on her seven-year-old son before noticing concerned neighbours outside.
“Then I came out of the house and saw several neighbours asking each other what happened as everyone was worried that something would happen before they knew that there was an earthquake in Indonesia,” said Nur Hafizah, who lives on the 15th floor of the apartment.
Earlier, the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) announced that a moderate earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale struck North Sumatra, Indonesia, at 4.57 pm. The tremors were also felt across most areas on the West Coast of Peninsular Malaysia, though there was no tsunami threat to the country.
