KOTA KINABALU: Hundreds fled their offices and high-rise buildings as a magnitude 7.3 earthquake, the biggest to hit near Sabah, struck the Celebes Sea. The quake struck at 2.13pm about 466km east of Semporna, setting off tremors lasting between three and 10 seconds. Civil servant Cleophas John Gordon, who was in his third floor office near the city, said he felt his chair shaking. This is the second quake in the Celebes Sea in five days, the last being a magnitude 4.7 quake with a depth of about 564km. The last big quake in the Celebes Sea occurred about six years ago when a 6.6 magnitude quake (525km depth) was recorded.

Source: The Star January 10, 2017 23:55 UTC