4.4-magnitude quake off Batu Pahat startles residents in Johor, Melaka

KUALA LUMPUR – A 4.4-magnitude earthquake that struck the waters off Batu Pahat, Johor this afternoon startled residents in several areas, with some initially mistaking the brief tremors for vibrations from passing heavy vehicles.

Resident Efendy Mohamed, 54, said he was at his workplace on Jalan Rogayah when the tremor occurred at 4.55pm and initially thought it was caused by a lorry or other heavy vehicle passing nearby.

“However, a few minutes later I received several WhatsApp messages from multiple groups saying that an earthquake had occurred in this district,” he said when contacted by Bernama.

He said his colleagues also felt the tremors, with some noticing the water in their cups rippling.

Another resident, Mohd Fazli Mohamad, 43, said he felt the brief tremors for several seconds while walking towards his car.

“I felt my head shaking, almost like having a dizzy spell, but it was only for a moment and then it was gone. I thought it was nothing, but a few minutes later there was a commotion,” he said.

In Melaka, administrative assistant Kartini Barmah, 29, who works at an office in Ayer Keroh, said she was completing a task when she suddenly felt the tremors at about 5pm.

“At first, I was puzzled as to why the table suddenly shook, and then I panicked upon realising the tremors might have been caused by an earthquake.

“I decided to leave the office, which is located on the first floor, to check the surroundings, as I was worried the building might crack,” she said.

Kosmo! journalist Nur Diyanatul Atiqah Zakarya, 37, said she and a group of journalists completing their assignments at the Melaka Media Practitioners Club office in Ayer Keroh also felt the tremors.

She initially thought the tremors were caused by lorries using the SPA Highway (Sungai Udang-Paya Rumput-Ayer Keroh Highway) near the media club office.

“After checking the WhatsApp group with the Melaka Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department, only then did I realise there was an earthquake in the Strait of Malacca that caused the tremors at this Pendika Office,” she said.

The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) confirmed that the 4.4-magnitude earthquake struck the waters off Batu Pahat at 4.55pm at a depth of 10 kilometres.

The epicentre was detected at coordinates 1.7 degrees North and 102.7 degrees East, about 27 kilometres southwest of Batu Pahat, with tremors also felt in surrounding areas. –BERNAMA