A weak earthquake struck the Malaysian state of Johor on Sunday (Aug 24) morning, with tremors felt across several states.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) said in a Facebook post that the 4.1-magnitude quake occurred at 6.13am on Sunday, 5km west of Segamat, at a depth of 10km.
The authorities said tremors were felt in most areas of Johor, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka and southern Pahang.
A second, milder quake struck at 9am. According to a MetMalaysia update, tremors from the 2.8-magnitude quake were felt in the same areas as the first. The epicentre of the second quake was 28km northwest of Kluang, Johor.
After the first quake, MetMalaysia said it would continue to monitor the situation and that there was no tsunami threat to the country.
Johor Chief Minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi wrote on Facebook that there were no reports of accidents or property damage in Segamat.
He added that the Johor state government was closely monitoring the situation with the relevant agencies.
Members of the public were advised to stay away from unstable structures and to heed instructions from the authorities, said Onn Hafiz.
COUNTRY NOT COMPLETELY IMMUNE
While Malaysia is located outside the Pacific Ring of Fire, the country is not completely immune to the risk of earthquakes, said one expert.
The Institute of Geology Malaysia’s president Abd Rasid Jaapar told Bernama in March this year that while Malaysia is not situated along the collision zone of major tectonic plates, several minor tremors have been recorded in certain areas over recent decades.
“Earthquakes are unpredictable in both location and magnitude. For instance, Bukit Tinggi once experienced a 3.8-magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale. However, at present, there is no significant earthquake risk in Peninsular Malaysia,” he said.
He added that the risk is higher in Sabah, where it is close to active seismic zones.
Malaysia has experienced strong earthquakes in the past, particularly in Sabah, according to Bernama. Quakes with magnitudes between 6.0 and 6.3 were recorded in 1923, 1958, 1976 and 2015. In Sarawak, the strongest recorded tremor was a 5.3-magnitude quake in 1994.
Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/malaysia-earthquake-johor-tremors-segamat-5311086
