KOTA KINABALU, February 23 — A strong magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the waters off Sabah at 12.57am today, with tremors felt across the state as well as parts of Sarawak, Peninsular Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) said the quake’s epicentre was located 49km west of Kudat at a depth of 678km, adding that there is no tsunami threat to Malaysia. The US Geological Survey recorded the tremor at a slightly higher magnitude of 7.1 at a depth of 619.8km.
Residents reported shaking lasting about 10 seconds, strong enough to wake many from their sleep, sparking widespread discussion on social media. The Sabah Fire and Rescue Department conducted patrols in coastal and high-risk areas.
But confirmed that no damage or emergency calls had been reported, while MetMalaysia said it will continue monitoring the situation and urged the public to submit reports of their experiences to assist data collection efforts.
