No quiet Sunday: Penangites standing outside a shopping complex after feeling tremors from an earthquake off Aceh province in Sumatra yesterday.
Tremors from an earthquake that struck off Aceh province in Sumatra rocked several parts of the island as Penangites were enjoying a leisurely Sunday.
The shocks lasting several seconds caused anxious callers to deluge with enquiries.
One caller, who only wanted to be known as Ooi, said he was watching a movie at a cinema in a shopping complex at around 2pm yesterday when a group of foreign tourists suddenly rushed out.
“I thought they were fooling around, so I just ignored them.
“Five minutes later, two ushers came in and asked us to leave,” he said, adding that when he got out, most of the shops in the complex were closed and the mall was in semi-darkness.
“The shops re-opened some 45 minutes later,” he said.
Another caller, known as Chu, said he was working on his computer when he felt strong tremors.
“At exactly 2.07pm, I saw my four-tiered paper tray shake and I felt dizzy.
“It was the same feeling that I had when Penang was hit by the tsunami in 2004,” he said, adding that he felt a second tremor some three minutes later.
“I was worried about another tsunami because the tremors were really strong,” he said.
A caller living in a high-rise apartment in Sungai Dua said many residents fled their homes after the building started to shake.
