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Hadi Azmi

A third earthquake in four days rattled Malaysia’s Johor state on Wednesday morning, unsettling assumptions that the country is shielded from seismic activity and prompting calls for greater disaster preparedness.
Wednesday’s tremor, a magnitude 3.2 earthquake, struck at 8.59am. Its epicentre was located 18km (11 miles) south of Segamat town at a depth of 10km (6.2 miles), according to the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia).
Tremors were felt across Johor and the southern part of Pahang, jolting residents in a region long considered free of such seismic activity.


No reports of deaths, injuries or property damage had been received so far, the Segamat District Disaster Management Committee confirmed.
Security authorities and the relevant agencies were conducting continuous monitoring to ensure public safety in Segamat and the surrounding areas, it added.
Wednesday’s tremor followed two earthquakes on Sunday: a magnitude 4.1 one that struck Segamat at 6.13am, and a 2.8-magnitude quake at 9am in Kluang, 28km (17.4 miles) northwest of the town.
The earlier, stronger quake was felt in most parts of Johor, as well as in Negeri Sembilan, Melaka and southern Pahang, Malaysian authorities reported. Residents described moments of panic, with CCTV footage capturing vehicles shaking and car alarms blaring.
I thought the house was about to collapse
Nur Hafiz Mukmin, Segamat resident
“I thought the house was about to collapse. I panicked and quickly got my wife and child out of the house,” Segamat resident Nur Hafiz Mukmin told national news agency Bernama.
Housewife Normala Mohamed described glass panels shaking violently as she prayed. “I rushed straight to the kitchen, worried that something had happened,” she told Bernama. “Thankfully, there was no damage to the house, but the tremor was completely unexpected.”
Johor, the southernmost state of Peninsular Malaysia, is a key economic hub that shares one of the world’s busiest land crossings with Singapore.
While Malaysia frequently feels the aftershocks of earthquakes originating in Indonesia or the Philippines – both of which sit atop the volatile Pacific Ring of Fire – it has long been thought safe from direct seismic threats. Much of the country’s land mass is situated away from the tectonic boundaries that typically generate such events.
But the recent spate of tremors, all centred near the Mersing Fault Zone – a major fault belt in the peninsula – has prompted experts to challenge the notion that Malaysia is earthquake-proof.
“Although no active fault had been identified there before, the events suggest a small inactive fault may have been reactivated, possibly influenced by regional seismic activity from neighbouring countries,” Dr Mohd Zamri Ramli, an engineer and seismologist at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, told The Star.


Historical records reveal that similar tremors occurred further north in Pahang between 2007 and 2009, with magnitudes reaching up to 4.2.
The Universiti Teknologi Malaysia earthquake centre has previously cautioned that Malaysia’s risk profile is changing. In a 2023 report, lead researcher Professor Azlan Adnan warned that Kuala Lumpur could face a magnitude 6 earthquake, given its proximity to a fault line just 50km (31 miles) east in Pahang.
“This disclosure is not to scare the public, but to provide exposure so that the public can be better prepared and the government can also take early steps to reduce the effects of earthquakes by applying appropriate methods,” Azlan said, noting that his team had monitored seismic activity in Malaysia for over 25 years.
On social media, the tremors struck a spiritual nerve, with messages beseeching divine protection and interpreting the quakes as “a reminder from above”.
“We have been distracted; it has been clearly said that earthquakes are a sign of the end of times. We should get ready,” wrote one user, Nazrin Firdaus. Others echoed calls for collective repentance and vigilance against societal ills.
Some Malaysians are now also urging the government to develop a comprehensive earthquake preparedness plan, similar to those in Japan, where the Tokara Islands recently endured more than 2,000 tremors in a month.
In 2015, an earthquake rocked Malaysia’s Sabah state on Borneo Island, killing 18 people including seven pupils from a Singapore primary school and two teachers – showing that seismic risks, though rare, are not unprecedented.
MetMalaysia has pledged to “continue to monitor the situation”. For now, residents in Segamat and beyond are left to grapple with the reality that the ground beneath their feet may not be as stable as they once believed.
Additional reporting by CNA


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The tremors set off a spiritual debate online, as experts warn that Malaysia may not be as earthquake-proof as previously thought


The tremors set off a spiritual debate online, as experts warn that Malaysia may not be as earthquake-proof as previously thought.


Earthquakes

Natural disasters

Third earthquake in 4 days shakes Malaysia’s Johor, rattling residents

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The tremors set off a spiritual debate online, as experts warn that Malaysia may not be as earthquake-proof as previously thought

The tremors set off a spiritual debate online, as experts warn that Malaysia may not be as earthquake-proof as previously thought