BMKG: Magnitude 7.2 Earthquake in Sabah, Malaysia Poses No Tsunami Risk

Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has stated that the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that struck northern Sabah, Malaysia does not pose a tsunami risk to Indonesia.

“Modelling results indicate that this earthquake does not have tsunami potential,” said Acting Director of Earthquakes and Tsunamis at BMKG, Rahmat Triyono, in a written statement on Monday (23/2).

The earthquake occurred on Sunday (22/2) at 23:57 WIB (Western Indonesian Time), with its epicentre located at coordinates 6.94° N; 116.26° E, or precisely in the sea approximately 109 km northeast of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia, at a depth of around 628 km.

“Based on the epicentre location and hypocentre depth, this earthquake is classified as a deep earthquake resulting from deformation activity within the Philippine Sea Plate. The earthquake has an oblique thrust-fault mechanism,” he explained.

The earthquake produced tremors in the Nunukan area with an intensity of III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) scale, and in the Tarakan area with an intensity of II MMI.