Tremors felt in Singapore as earthquake hits Sumatra

People reported feeling tremors in areas including Bukit Panjang, Siglap, Punggol and Toa Payoh.
Channel NewsAsia 2 Jun 16;

SINGAPORE: Tremors were felt across Singapore after a 6.5-magnitude earthquake was recorded off the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Thursday (Jun 2).

The Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) said the earthquake was detected at 6.56am. The quake's epicentre was about 517km from Singapore, it said, adding that there was no tsunami advisory.

Channel NewsAsia received at least seven reports of tremors felt across Singapore. People reported feeling tremors in areas including Bukit Panjang, Siglap, Punggol and Toa Payoh.

Siglap resident Anya Kothary said she felt tremors in her home on the 13th floor. “The tremors were quite strong and lasted for a few minutes,” she said.

Twitter user Juck, who lives in Punggol, tweeted that he felt a “huge tremor” and that his “whole floor was shaking”. Some Twitter users posted videos of their lights swaying during the tremors.

Tremors were felt in neighbouring Johor as well. Johor resident Monesha Selvagnanam said she felt “strong tremors” in her flat after the earthquake struck.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they did not receive any calls for assistance.

The last time tremors were felt in parts of Singapore was in March 2015, when a 7.8-magnitude quake struck southwest Sumatra.

WHAT TO DO IN THE EVENT OF TREMORS

If members of the public are inside a building and feel tremors, police advise them to:

i) Take cover under a sturdy table or furniture
ii) Keep away from items made of glass or any hanging object
iii) Do not use the lift
iv) Do not use any naked light, in case there is a gas leak

Those out in the open should minimise their movement and stay away from buildings, street lights and utility wires, the police said. After the vibrations have stopped, they should:

i) Stay away from any exposed electrical cables, hanging glass objects
ii) Report any gas leakage
iii) Help the injured, call SCDF if the injuries are significant
iv) Report any incidents or issues of law and order to Police
v) Tune in to the radio for updates, according to police

- CNA/cy


‘I thought I was going to faint’: Tremors felt in S’pore
Today Online 2 Jun 16;

SINGAPORE — An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.5 shook buildings and caused momentary panic in the Indonesian port city of Padang on Thursday (June 2). However, there were no immediate reports of damage or injury in that country.

The quake was centred about 155km south of Padang, off the coast of Sumatra island at a depth of about 50km, the United States Geological Survey said. It had originally been reported with a magnitude of 6.2.

Over in Singapore, an alert was issued by the National Environment Agency (NEA) on their MyENV app at 7.38am. “Tremors due to the earthquake were felt in parts of Singapore. There is no tsunami advisory,” the alert said.

Several people around Singapore felt the resulting tremors as the sun came up. In St George’s Lane, Jasmin Rizhwana, 29, was getting ready for work when she too felt the tremors around 7am. “I was going to enter my bedroom when the door to the other room on the opposite side started thumping even though it was closed, like someone was hitting the door. My husband, who was in the toilet, then came out and asked if I felt the tremors,” said the 29-year-old, lives on the 12th floor of her block.

“You could (the flat moving) like you’re going up and down, like you were in a boat. I felt giddy and thought I was going to faint. I went outside and my neighbours also felt it.”

Facebook user Putri, who stays on the 10th floor of her block in Marine Terrace reported feeling tremors at 7.15am. “It lasted around 15 seconds. I was in the kitchen. Suddenly, I felt dizzy. I walked to the living room and saw the lights shaking,” said Ms Putri, who took a video and posted it online.

Noorul Hutha, who lives in Crawford Lane was asleep but was woken up because she could feel the flat moving at 7am. “I thought it was a dream. I went to the hall and saw my parents there, they told me about the earthquake,” she told TODAY.

“There is a hotel opposite where we live and we could see the hotel guests all coming downstairs. I didn’t go down because by the time I got out of my room, (the tremors) had already stopped. We are all fine but it was quite horrifying to wake up to that,” Ms Noorul said, adding that she was often worried that a repeat of the 2004 tsunmai disaster might occur.

Memories are still fresh of that massive 9.15 magnitude undersea quake that triggered an Indian Ocean tsunami which killed more than 200,000 people in a dozen countries. Most of those killed were in the province of Aceh on Sumatra’s northwest tip.

Indonesia is on the the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire”, a highly seismically active zone, where different plates on the earth’s crust meet and create a large number of earthquakes and volcanoes.


Strong quake rattles Indonesia's Sumatra, no damage reported
Today Online 2 Jun 16;

PADANG, Indonesia - An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.5 shook buildings and caused momentary panic in the Indonesian port city of Padang on Thursday, officials and residents said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injury.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue an alert immediately after the quake and Indonesia's BMK weather agency said there was no threat of a tsunami.

The quake was centered about 155 km (95 miles) south of Padang, off the coast of Sumatra island at a depth of about 50 km (30 miles), the USGS said. It had originally been reported with a magnitude of 6.2.

Memories are still fresh in Indonesia of the massive 9.15 magnitude undersea quake that triggered an Indian Ocean tsunami which killed more than 200,000 people in a dozen countries.

Most of those killed were in the province of Aceh on Sumatra's northwest tip.

A Reuters witness reported initial panic after the latest quake, which struck before dawn and lasted about 30 seconds. Residents rushed out of their homes and into the streets, but with no apparent signs of damage of injury, things quickly returned to normal.

Indonesia straddles the so-called "Pacific Ring of Fire", a highly seismically active zone, where different plates on the earth's crust meet and create a large number of earthquakes and volcanoes. REUTERS


6.5-magnitude quake rattles Indonesia's Sumatra, no damage reported
The 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck off the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Thursday morning, the US Geological Survey reported. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
Channel NewsAsia 2 Jun 16;

SYDNEY: An earthquake with an initial magnitude of 6.5 was recorded off the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Thursday (Jun 2), the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported.

The quake, which had an initial magnitude of 6.2, was centred about 155 kilometres south of Padang at a depth of about 40 kilometres, the USGS said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injury.

The quake took place at 5.56am local time (6.56am, Singapore time), shortly before dawn, when many people would still have been in bed.

A witness reported initial panic after the latest quake, which struck before dawn and lasted about 30 seconds. Residents rushed out of their homes and into the streets, but with no apparent signs of damage of injury, things quickly returned to normal.

There were reports of tremors in neighbouring Singapore.

Electricity cut out in some places after the quake but was restored shortly afterwards, said the journalist, and people were not ordered to evacuate their homes.

Wandono, a senior official from Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, said the quake did not have the potential to cause a tsunami.

"So far we have not received any reports of damage," added the official.

A few minutes after the quake, Padang's mayor announced over the radio that it had no potential to cause a tsunami.

Phil Cummins, senior seismologist at Geoscience Australia, said the quake was not large enough to trigger a tsunami.

"People would have felt it and there may be some minor damage, but it was offshore and deep so damage would be limited," he told AFP.

There was no immediate indication of whether the quake had caused any casualties or damage. Indonesia experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," where tectonic plates collide.

- CNA/Agencies/de/rw