Earthquake? Pontian Residents Fearful After Building Pillars Crack And Split Apart

Customers from a coffee shop and a guesthouse in Pontian were sent into a state of panic on Friday morning, after cracks appeared in the ceiling and pillars followed by loud crashing sounds.

Fearing an earthquake was taking place, customers of the businesses along Lorong Zamrud 3 ran out onto the street for fear the structure they were in would collapse on their heads in the 9am incident.

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Owner of the coffee shop, Tey Siang Huat, 50, was in the kitchen cooking when some wok and pots hanging on the wall fell to the ground.

"I thought nothing of it at first, but then I heard a loud boom like something falling from a high place.

"My customers started shouting so I dropped my cooking utensils and ran out of the building," he said.

He added that he would close his shop temporarily to ensure the safety of his six workers and himself.

Retiree Yip Ah Yai, 70, said that she was just about to take a sip from her drink when she heard a loud crumbling noise from outside the coffee shop.

“I turned towards the noise and to my horror, I saw the pillars starting to crack. I ran for my life because I was so scared that the building would tumble,” she told reporters here.

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Pontian Baru Fire and Rescue Station chief Zulbahry Sulong said the cracks, which appeared at about 9 am, eventually led to damage of the walls, ceiling and pillars of the concrete buildings of eight years.

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"The four shops are part of 16 units of three-storey shops near the Kukup bus and taxi terminal. The shops affected are a restaurant, a hotel and a snooker centre," he said.

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Ketua Balai Bomba Jalan Sekolah Arab, Zulbahar Sulong menafikan kejadian pukul 8.40 pagi itu ada kaitan dengan gempa bumi atau tsunami.

Beliau berkata, tiada sebarang laporan tentang gempa bumi atau gegaran yang diterima pihaknya di kawasan tersebut yang menyebabkan rumah kedai berusia dua tahun itu mengalami keretakan.

Menurutnya, para pelanggan yang berada di dalam sebuah kedai kopi di situ juga selamat tanpa sebarang kecederaan kerana mereka bergegas keluar setelah mendengar bunyi bising.

"Bagi mengelakkan sebarang kemungkinan, orang ramai telah diminta menjauhkan diri dari kawasan tersebut bagi membolehkan siasatan lanjut dijalankan oleh pihak berkuasa," katanya ketika ditemui di tempat kejadian.

"The cracks could be due to renovation works done by the building owner but the building was built on reclaimed land," he said.

Bagaimanapun, beliau tidak menolak faktor semulajadi iaitu berlaku mendepan tanah ekoran kedudukan Pekan Kukup yang terletak di pinggir laut.

“Pihak perunding forensik bangunan akan dilantik dalam masa terdekat bagi menjalankan kajian supaya tahap keselamatan bangunan dapat ditentukan.

“Selain itu, langkah-langkah keselamatan bagi mengelak kejadian serupa berlaku akan dikenalpasti,” katanya kepada Sinar Harian, semalam.

Menurutnya, MDP telah mengarahkan pemilik dan penghuni bangunan yang terletak bersebelahan mengosongkan bangunan tersebut.

“Pemilik dan penghuni bangunan di situ diminta memberikan kerjasama dengan mengosongkan bangunan.

“Penguat kuasa MDP juga akan membuat kawalan di bangunan tersebut bagi memastikan ia tidak diceroboh,” katanya.