A powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Sabah in Malaysia just after midnight on Monday (Feb 23). Some residents reported feeling light tremors in Singapore in the early hours of the morning. The quake was recorded at 12.57am Singapore time, with the epicentre located north of Kota Kinabalu in the waters off Kudat, about 1,500km away from Singapore. Despite the distance, social media posts from users in Singapore showed locals had felt their beds or high-rise unites shake briefly during the earthquake. Here’s what we know.
Key facts on Sabah earthquake and Singapore tremors today
The offshore earthquake measured 6.8 in magnitude at a depth of more than 600km, according to the Meteorological Service Singapore, and was picked up as a regional seismic event. Additionally, the agency stated there was no tsunami risk to Singapore, as well as no official reports of damage or injuries linked to local tremors. Meanwhile, Malaysia’s meteorological department also confirmed there was no tsunami threat along Sabah’s coastline. Plus, no causalities have been reported so far.
In Singapore, any shaking would likely have been mild and felt mainly in higher floors of tall buildings, where residents are more sensitive to distant seismic waves.
Indeed, the strong earthquake in the region is a reminder that Singapore is prone to tremors from large quakes in neighboring countries—despite not located on an active fault line.
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