"I thought my house was collapsing," said 32-year-old technician M Krishnamoorthi when describing the tremors that rocked his home in Penang Hill for about three minutes around midnight.

The Penang turf club employee was watching television when he suddenly saw his furniture shaking at around 12.10am as a result of an earthquake in Sumatra measuring 8.7 on the Richter.

Mark Ooi, 54, thought his mind was playing tricks on him when he felt his bed trembling in his house in Bukit Jambul.

"First I thought it was just my imagination. However, when I came out to investigate after hearing a commotion outside, I realised it was a quake-effect," recounted the general manager.

Thousands in Penang were also overcome with similar fear and fled their homes when the tremors struck.

Those affected were mainly living in flats along the coastal areas in Lebuh MacCallum, Jalan Gurdwara, Batu Uban, Bandar Baru Air Itam, Bayan Baru, Gelugor, Tanjung Tokong and Tanjung Bunga on Penang island, Bukit Mertajam, Machang Bubok, Prai and Seberang Jaya on the mainland.

Hundreds of factory workers in Bayan Lepas and Prai Free Industrial Zone were evacuated from their plants as a precautionary measure while hotel staff and guests in Batu Feringghi and Bayan Baru were also put on similar alerts for several hours.

Another tsunami!

Another quake! another tsunami?! was the fear etched on the faces of Penangites, who suffered considerably from the killer waves that struck on Dec 26 last year.

According to them, today's tremors were more powerful than the ones felt in the previous incident.

A tsunami alert was also issued to those staying along the coastline and the marine police had issued similar warnings to fishermen out at sea.

Police units were placed on round-the-clock alert and seen patrolling residential areas along the beaches.

Police stations, fire and rescue departments and the state meteorological centres were flooded with calls from the public.

Many residents stayed outside their flat blocks and villagers in coastline areas gathered at community halls for hours before returning home.

No casualties or damages were reported.

Alert lifted

Meanwhile AFP reported that the authorities have lifted its tsunami alert, telling people living in its northwestern coastal areas that it was safe to return.

"The tsunami alert was lifted at 06:00 this morning. There is no threat," Low Kong Chiew, director of the Malaysian Meteorological Services Department's Seismology Division, told AFP .

"People who were evacuated from coastal areas can return home. It is safe," he said.

A total of 1,525 people were quickly evacuated from coastal areas in northwestern Kedah and Penang states after tremors from an earthquake off Indonesia rattled the country, a police spokesman said.

Many residents had already started returning to their homes, police said.

ATHI VEERANGGAN is malaysiakini 's Penang-based stringer.