KOTA KINABALU – Police have not received any report on any explosion or quake that might have occurred in several west coast districts in Sabah.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department also confirms that there no natural disaster, including quakes, have happened in the area recently.
State police chief Datuk Hazani Ghazali in a statement said police personnel have been deployed to conduct monitoring of several areas.
“Police have also conducted an investigation by contacting several target locations, including companies like Asian Supply Base, Petronas Chemicals Methanol and Hibiscus Petroleum, but no incident has been reported.
“However, there are reports claiming that the sound of a loud explosion was heard at several locations on the west coast near the mouth of the Gulf of Brunei.”
Hazani advised the public to not spread unfounded claims that will cause public panic.
He said police will continue to monitor and inform the community if there is any incident that could endanger their safety.
Residents in the Sipitang and Beaufort districts in Sabah and Labuan were shocked this morning by the sound of an explosion and tremors.
They claimed that the tremors was felt for about 10 seconds.
A construction worker in Beaufort, Jamlan Zainudin, 44, said at first, he thought the house he was repairing had collapsed.
“The incident lasted for a while. At first, there was the sound of banging, and later I felt the tremors.
“Many residents came out of their houses thinking the buildings would collapse. My friends and I then contacted other family members to make sure they were safe.”
A teacher, Aminah Siddek, 38, who lives in Sipitang, said she and her family went out of their house after feeling the tremors.
“I thought it was an earthquake, but I could not find any information (of it online). When I opened my Facebook account, I saw many stories about the incident.”
She said there are many assumptions made on social media. – The Vibes, January 31, 2021
