Tawau rocked by 6.2 magnitude earthquake

Tawau has been rocked by an earthquake that touched 6.2 on the magnitude in the wee hours of this morning, the Malaysian Meteorological Department announced.

The department said the epicentre of the earthquake was in Tarakan, Indonesia, but tremors had been felt in Tawau, which is 96km to the north-east.

The earthquake took place at 2.47am, with the epicentre at a depth of five kilometres underground.

There have been no immediate reports of casualties so far, but a Facebook page for Tawau residents began filling with purported photographs of household items left in disarray in the aftermath of the quake.

There is also at least one purported photograph of residents who evacuated to the streets after feeling the tremors.

When contacted, one Tawau resident, who declined to be named, told Malaysiakini that the tremors lasted only a few seconds.

“This morning, when it was shaking, I could not move. It was quite shaky, I stayed on the bed when it shook,” he said.

The 26-year old explained that when the tremors occurred while he was on the bed, it made him so dizzy that he could not move. -Mkini