Western Sumatra Earthquake tremors felt in KL

Map courtesy of USGS National Earthquake Information Center.

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 25 – The social media was rife with many people in Kuala Lumpur saying that they felt, at least for few seconds, the tremors of an earthquake that took place in Western Sumatra around 9.40 this morning.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) agency reported that the 6.2 earthquake took place 66km NNW of from Bukittinggi in Sumatra, Indonesia.

For 16-year old Huang WeiZheng who lives in an apartment in Bukit Tunku, it was more than a few seconds of tremor. It was panic as well.

He said he was with his parents and a younger sister at home, when he felt the building moving sideways.

“I was about to go to my grandparents house. My dad was about to leave for work, when the 9th floor apartment started to shake sideways.

“It shook for a few seconds. I panicked and i called for everyone to get downstairs. I started running down the fire escape stairs as I was afraid to use the lift.

“I got to the ground floor. My mother and sister were also at the road outside the apartment building. Then my father came out in his car.

“Five minutes later, we got the news of the earthquake in Indonesia.”

Just like WeiZheng and his family, several office workers in Kuala Lumpur were reported to have rushed out of their office buildings as well when the 12.3km depth earthquake had hit neighbouring Sumatra, Indonesia.

While many islands of Indonesia are located along the Pacific Ring of Fire, an active belt of volcanoes and earthquake, Malaysia is relatively safer and away from the zone.

In the recent years, however, more earthquake tremors have been reported to have been felt in the Peninsular as well with earthquakes in the region.

–WE