Authorities Say Loud Explosion Heard Across Ipoh Did Not Come From Blasting Or Earthquake
So what really happened in Ipoh?
By Sadho Ram — 21 Oct 2024, 05:37 PM
Authorities are still searching for answers following reports that several areas around Ipoh, Perak were rattled by tremors and a loud explosion this morning, 21 October, which left residents concerned
Perak police chief Datuk Azizi Mat Aris said that preliminary investigations have yet to uncover any likely causes for the incident as there's no record of any explosions or drills conducted before noon.
Azizi stated that the Northern Brigade of the General Operations Force in Ulu Kinta did not conduct any explosion-related training today, and the Land and Mines Office also ruled out any quarry blasting.
Similarly, Perak Mineral and Geoscience Department (JMG) director Nizarulikram Abdul Rahim confirmed with Bernama that the explosion and tremors were not linked to any quarry activities.
"I can confidently say it wasn't from quarry blasting. There were no authorised blasts today. Furthermore, quarry explosions are only permitted between 12 noon and 5pm on weekdays," he said.
Additionally, the Malaysian Meteorological Department also reported no seismic activity in the area at the time of the reported incident
Although a minor earthquake was reported at 11.24am in Halmahera, Indonesia, it's considered unrelated to the incident in Ipoh.
Meanwhile, Nizarulikram noted that the explosion heard this morning is not the first time such an incident has occurred in the area, with similar unexplained tremors reported in June 2012 and October 2018.
Both these previous incidents occured around the same time of day, around 11am.
On the other hand, the New Straits Times quoted a defence security analyst, Zaki Salleh, as suggesting the loud explosion might have been from a sonic boom.
A general view of Ipoh taken from the top of Bukit Kledang, 20 June 2024.
Image via Farhan Najib/Malay Mail