Earthquake witness

One big quake
I'm living in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, approximately 350 kms from the epicenter of the quake. At approx. 12:15 hours local time, I was lying in bed reading. Bed started shaking, and when I stood up, floor was swaying/vibrating quite strongly. Noticed that the fish tank water was swirling or tilting up and down. Ran down the staircase from my 3rd floor apartment. Tremors/shaking lasted approx 3-5 minutes. Must be one big quake somewhere far away for it to affect KL like this.
—Ong Chee Keong, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

I felt really dizzy
I was trying to concentrate on my assignments when my mom suddenly banged on the door, shouting, "earthquake!!!! "

Suddenly I felt really dizzy and my body was swaying from side to side. The tables were all shaking. Though it's not as bad as how people in Sumatra would feel, it did really scare me and the rest of Penang. People were hurrying out of their homes with little children, all in their pajamas. I prayed to God, so that He would protect us all. It's only with His grace we can pull through. God bless us all. My prayers are with the people of the world.
—Awy, Penang, Malaysia

Quake felt in Bangkok
We felt the earthquake in Bangkok tonight. The first tremor was strong with a second lessor tremor over 5 minutes. Our apartment swayed on the 27th floor in Bangkok and you felt dizzy at first then noticed the curtains swaying. Many people evacuated the building.
—Luci Pope, Bangkok

Calm in Banda Aceh
Josh Estey, an NBC contact and aid worker in Banda Aceh, reports that everything is calm. Of course the quake sent locals into a panic when it struck, and many fled inland and to mosques, which are stronger structures. But now most people have returned to their homes.
—Josh Esteym, Banda Aceh

'Gempa bumi'
Around 0020(local time in Malaysia), I felt the tremor which lasted around 3-5 mins. I was sitting on my chair when I felt a slight rocking motion. It was my first time experiencing this. Then I heard my neighbors shouted "gempa bumi" (earthquake) and I too rushed out. The street was lined up with cars on both sides of the roads. The residents from the nearby condominiums also evacuated the buildings. From a distance, the sirens can be heard.

My friend called me from Genting Highland (a hill resort) and she confirmed that the hotels were all evacuated as well.

Even though this time the magnitude (8.2) is lower than the December tsunami earthquake(9.0), it's more widely felt here in Malaysia.

Hopefully everyone is safe. God Bless!
—Wendy, Ampang, Kuala Lumpur.

No sign of a tsunami
Hi. We are in a resort on the east coast of Male Atoll, and nothing yet happened here. Precautions are taken but its three hours now and no sign of a tsunami. Hopefully this is the case for all other places too.
—Ozgur, Maldives

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