KENINGAU: Retired teacher, Yazid Mohd Hasnan Tawik said his house at Taman Fajar here shook like a swing when the tremor occurred yesterday.
He said fans swayed and water tank shook unsteadily for three to five seconds at 7.17am.
“At that time I was sitting, writing and felt the floor shaking. I got up looking at the floor, and it shook again three times,” he said.
Yazid said it was his first experience with tremors.
He was also informed by his son, who lives in Petagas, who felt the tremors that were quite strong.
“Likewise, my brothers and sisters who are in Keningau and Kota Kinabalu also felt the tremors,” he said.
In Sook, Jasni Sahabin from Kampung Terlobou Baru became aware of the tremor at 7.15am, but he thought it was a cow at their home posts.
“I went out of my house to see if there were cows under the house, but I saw electric poles swaying,” he said.
In Tambunan, the tremor was felt at 7.14am, and the flat occupants at Tambunan Hospital rushed out of the building.
A resident on the fourth floor Gimus Gotil said the tremors occurred about five seconds — twice.
He said it was slight at first but followed by a stronger one that moved chairs, and items fell from shelves and tables.
Johnny Adin, a private sector worker at SM St Martin, also felt a strong vibration in the school.
“The cars parked in the garage swayed and windows vibrated, producing loud sounds,” he said.
According to him, this was the first tremor he had felt in his life.
Ivy Peter, a teacher who lives at Kampung Sunsuron, also felt the tremors and said the villagers had run out of their houses to find a safer place.
In Nabawan, tremors were felt and a housewife, Linda Asrin, said her house swayed strongly and her windows shook.
“There was also my neighbour whose TV set fell,” she said.