KUALA LUMPUR, March 29 — All buildings, including Penang’s two bridges, remain structurally sound and unaffected by the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar and Bangkok yesterday.
According to Berita Harian, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said most major buildings and bridges in the state were designed to withstand tremors of a certain magnitude.
“As such, Penang remains safe,” he was quoted as saying by the national daily.
“Komtar (Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak) and our bridges were built with earthquake resilience in mind.
“Their structural design can withstand tremors within certain limits, so there is no cause for concern.”
Chow was responding to reports that some Penang residents felt mild tremors following the strong quake in Myanmar and Thailand yesterday afternoon.
Speaking at the Madani Rahmah Sales Programme for Batu Kawan in Taman Merak, Batu Kawan today, he said he did not feel any tremors while chairing a meeting at Komtar’s Operations Room but was later told that some state assemblymen experienced dizziness.
“Shortly after, I received multiple messages asking about the incident, including one from my own child, who said they left a building after feeling the tremors,” he was quoted as saying.
Apart from Komtar, tremors were reportedly felt at Livingstone Tower and several buildings in Butterworth.
Meanwhile, Chow confirmed that the Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) had conducted immediate inspections.
“This is standard procedure after such incidents. Their work often goes unnoticed, but these inspections are essential,” he added.
Earlier, the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) reported on Facebook that a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck central Myanmar at 2.21pm.
The quake occurred 55km southwest of Mandalay at a depth of 57km but posed no tsunami threat to Malaysia.
