Tremors felt in Penang, too
13/09/2007 The Star By BERNARD SEE

PENANG: Tremors caused by the 7.8-magnitude earthquake off Sumatera Thursday morning caused more than 4,000 workers from three government buildings here to flee their offices.

The tremors were felt at the EPF building in Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, Komtar and Bangunan Tunku Syed Putra in Downing Street between 7.50am and 8.15am Thursday.

State Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry enforcement chief M. Gunaselan said he had just reached his 8th floor office on Downing Street when he suddenly felt dizzy.

“I thought nothing of it until one of my staff told me that there was a tremor. I then walked to the ground floor with the rest of my staff,” he said.

Penang Water Supply Corporation Sdn Bhd clerk Lim Saw Ean, 52, whose office was on the 28th floor of Komtar, said she and her colleagues felt their chairs sway at about 8am.

“I have experienced quite a few tremors over the years but this was one of the worst. I went back to the office after the Fire and Rescue department gave the green light at 9.25am.”

Perak Road Fire and Rescue Department operation chief Mohd Zin Salleh said his firemen did a floor-to-floor check of Komtar and found everything to be all right.

“The building was structurally sound. We had received a call about the tremors at 8.41am. Two engines rushed to the scene within minutes upon receiving the call.

“No untoward incident was reported. The evacuation of 2,255 people from Komtar went smoothly as they had undergone a fire drill about two weeks back,” he said when approached by reporters at the scene.

A state Meteorological Department spokesman said a series of aftershocks, which caused the tremors, were recorded following the massive earthquake in southern Sumatera.

“The aftershocks at 7.49am and 9am probably caused the tremors in the town centre. We are expecting more aftershocks over the next few hours.”