KOTA KINABALU: Hundreds of people, especially those working at high-rise buildings, evacuated their offices after they felt mild to moderate tremors triggered by a 6.6-magnitude earthquake in the southern Philippines region of Mindanao.
Emergency services received alerts about aftershocks being felt in Kota Kinabalu, Tawau, Putatan, Tawau as well as in the interior Ranau, Labuan and also Sarawak’s northern Limbang following yesterday’s earthquake which struck at 10.13am in the Philippines.
A Sabah Fire and Rescue Department spokesman said there were no immediate reports of damages or casualties.
Tremors were felt by people working at the 30-storey Menara Tun Mustapha who immediately evacuated the building.
Others were those based at the adjacent 33-storey state administrative building, Menara Kinabalu.
Ramsina Hansaram, an employee of Yayasan Sabah, said they felt quite a strong tremor.
“Windows were shaking. But it was just for a fleeting moment,” said Ramsina, who was on the seventh floor of the office located in Menara Tun Mustapha.
“Some of us felt it quite strongly with things shaking, while others on different floors said it was mild. There were also some who did not feel it,” she said.
Yayasan Sabah director Datuk Ghulam Haidarkhan Bahadur also ordered an immediate inspection of Menara Kinabalu, a unique suspended tower structure built in 1976.
He said staff members would only be allowed to return to their office when it was declared safe.
Sabah Fire and Rescue Department and Civil Defence personnel, who were mobilised to all areas, advised the people to move to designated assembly points pending an inspection of the buildings.
Staff at the Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd, Kota Kinabalu City Hall as well as Wisma Wanita also evacuated their buildings following the tremor that lasted less than a minute.
Over in Tawau, which is located in the east coast, workers at Wisma Persekutuan Tawau felt the tremor.
In Sarawak’s Limbang town, the people at Limbang Plaza evacuated the building.
Over in Labuan, those working at the Labuan Financial Centre and Labuan Corporation were said to have felt the aftershock too.
