‘Like a dinosaur walking past’: Segamat residents jolted from sleep by mild quake in Johor

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The earthquake struck Segamat – an inland Johor city of more than 200,000 residents some 180km north of Singapore – at 6.13am.

PHOTOS: JIMMYPUAH/X, BERNAMA

KUALA LUMPUR – Half an hour before dawn, Segamat resident Yvonne Liu was jolted awake by a thunderous bang that lasted several seconds. Outside her window, dogs were barking loudly and anxiously.

“I felt the earth shake, like a dinosaur had passed by my house,” the 52-year-old housewife told The Straits Times on Aug 24 about the 4.1-magnitude earthquake that left her and her neighbours unnerved.

The

earthquake struck Segamat

“The epicentre was located at 2.5 deg north and 102.8 deg east with a depth of 10km, 5km west of Segamat,” the Malaysian Meteorological Department said in a Facebook post.

Nearly three hours later, a 2.8-magnitude earthquake hit Kluang, another Johor inland city 100km north of Singapore.

Tremors for both quakes were felt in some areas in Johor, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka and southern Pahang.

The authorities have not received reports of property damage or casualties so far, said Segamat district officer Mohd Ezzuddin Sanusi.

“The security authorities and relevant agencies are conducting further monitoring to ensure that Segamat district remains safe for the public,” Mr Ezzuddin said in a Facebook post just before 10am.

On Aug 24, Deputy Prime Minister Zahid Hamidi urged all public to stay calm and refer to the authoritative