Tremors from Aceh earthquake felt in Penang

GEORGE TOWN: Tremors were felt around Penang following a strong earthquake in the Indonesian province of Aceh early this morning.

M. Purushotaman, 36, a resident of a flat in Air Itam, said the tremors felt like someone shaking his bed at about 6am.

He said the movement of the bed woke him up and he quickly went onto the Internet to find out what happened.

"I then came to know about the earthquake in Aceh," he said.

Meanwhile, Mohana Shanti, 55, who stays at an apartment in Jalan Rawang, said she woke up after feeling the bed shake.

"I felt the tremors for about 10 seconds," she said.

Another person who felt the tremors was Himanshu Bhatt who stays at an apartment in Batu Lanchang.

He said he felt the room sway for about a minute and described the feeling as a "slight watery floor" sensation.

"The swaying happened thrice in quick successions. I waited for more movement but there was none after that," he said.

When contacted, Penang Environment, Welfare and Caring Society Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said the earthquake did not affect the state.

"There is no tsunami alert for the state," he added.

The magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck just off the north-east coast of Sumatra Island at a depth of 17.2km at 5.03am local time.