Another quake, a moderate magnitude 5.3 strikes Mindanao

KUALA LUMPUR - Another earthquake, a moderate magnitude of 5.3, struck Mindanao, the Philippines, at 12.44 pm today, according to the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia).

In a statement, MetMalaysia said the tremor occurred at a depth of 70 kilometres, approximately 155km north-west of the Talaud Islands, Indonesia.

"No tsunami threat has been issued for Malaysia,” it said.

Earlier this morning, a strong 7.9-magnitude earthquake at a depth of 50km struck Mindanao at 7.37 am, with tremors felt in parts of Sabah, including Tawau and Semporna.

Following the initial quake, tsunami warning sirens were activated along several coastal areas in Sabah as authorities issued a precautionary alert forecasting waves of up to 0.4 metres in Tawau, Semporna, Kunak and Lahad Datu.

The tsunami advisory was later officially lifted at noon, MetMalaysia confirmed.

Meanwhile, in TAWAU, a Bernama check at the scene found that sirens at the Al-Kauthar Mosque compound in Tawau were sounded again at 12.17 pm to signal the end of the warning to residents.

The Early Tsunami Warning System siren had earlier been activated more than 20 times, accompanied by public announcements in both Malay and English confirming that there was no longer any tsunami threat.

Earlier in the morning, the alarm had been triggered by authorities and was clearly heard in several coastal areas, including densely populated Kampung Titingan.

MetMalaysia said the advisory issued at 8.36 am was lifted after continuous monitoring confirmed no further tsunami risk. - BERNAMA