MINDANAO QUAKE: HIGH-RISE WORKERS IN WEST COAST OF SABAH, KK, TAWAU FEEL TREMORS FOR 60SECS

KOTA KINABALU, July 11 (Bernama) -- Workers in high-rise buildings on the west coast of Sabah, among them Kota Kinabalu, were ‘shaken but not stirred’ for between 10 seconds and a minute by tremors following a strong earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale that hit Mindanao, Philippines, at 10.13 am today.

Administrative assistant Evelyn Octavia, 38, who was on the 32nd floor of Menara Kinabalu here, said the tremors felt at 10.15 am 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 told Bernama today.

Public Relations Officer Mohamad Alfian Adli, 27, who was on duty at the 15th floor of Menara Tun Mustapha here, 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 from the Mindanao quake (epicentre at 154km south-east of Isabela City with a depth of 600km) 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 about 10.15 am 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 here on the east coast of Sabah.

According to his assessment based on his experience, this morning’s tremor was the second occurrence which was felt after 2022, but today’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 10.30 am 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 2 pm,” he said.

-- BERNAMA