Sabah quake: 55 aftershocks recorded, last one on Sunday

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Map showing various fault lines in Kundasang/Ranau area where they are eight active fault lines.

Map showing various fault lines in Kundasang/Ranau area where they are eight active fault lines.

KOTA KINABALU: Fifty-five aftershocks of magnitude ranging from 1.9 to 4.3 were recorded after the 5.9 magnitude earthquake that struck Mount Kinabalu and its vicinity at 7.15am on Friday.

Disclosing this to The Borneo Post yesterday, the former director of Minerals and Geosciences Department Sabah, Alexander Yan, said aftershocks were common after a major one.

“In this case, it lasted for more than 60 hours after the major one,” he said.

With the last aftershock recorded at 6am on Sunday with a magnitude of 2.5, Yan believed residents staying at the foot of Mount Kinabalu could heave a sigh of relief.

Yan, who is also a registered professional geologist, said during his tenure as Sabah Minerals and Geoscience Department director, various earthquake and tsunami workshops were held to educate the people in Sabah.

“The residents in Kundasang, having attended these workshops, are well informed of the hazards of earthquake and the measures to prevent loss of lives should there be any earthquake,” he said.

While the residents are generally well-prepared, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassim was believed to have his first-hand experience of a 3.1 tremor on Sunday at 11.35 am while having a closed door briefing with top state authorities.

Muhyiddin was rushed out by his security personnel when the building started to shake, clearly terrified as witnessed by media personnel.

On the contrary, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun was clearly more prepared as he was seen dashing out for safety when the building where he was interviewed by The Borneo Post was shaken by the strongest aftershock, measuring 4.5, at 1.45 pm on Saturday.

“Surprisingly, I was not scared,” he said after being pressed by a journalist on what ran through his mind during that instant.

Yan added that the relevant authorities should continue to educate and prepare the people with regular earthquake and tsunami workshops.