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SINGAPORE : Singaporeans felt another round of tremors after a second major earthquake of at least 6.6 magnitude rocked Indonesia's Sumatra island on Thursday morning.
Police said some 74 buildings were affected. All have been inspected and found to be unaffected by the tremors.
An expert also said that although aftershocks are common, they will have minimal or no impact in Singapore.
Things have returned to normal for those working at Tong Eng Building, off Cecil Street in Singapore's central business district. But earlier in the day, workers felt tremors, and those on higher floors rushed for safety.
One worker said: "About 10 o'clock, there was some shaking (lasting) about less than one minute, it was a very short one. Yesterday's... was more serious, that one took about 2-3 minutes."
The management at Tong Eng Building said an officer from the Building and Construction Authority has since inspected the building and declared it safe.
It added that the same checks were done on many buildings in the area.
Authorities said they received more than 60 calls from the public about tremors in other locations.
These included Beach Road, Teban Gardens, Pasir Panjang, Toa Payoh, Ang Mo Kio, Yishun, Sengkang, Punggol, Sims Drive, Marine Parade, Tanjong Rhu, Woodlands, Choa Chu Kang and Jurong West.
But there were no reports of injury.
During tremors, members of the public who are indoors should take cover under a table and keep away from items made of glass or any hanging objects. Those who are outdoors should remain in the open, away from buildings.
They should check for any visible sign of structural defects on buildings, such as new cracks, once the vibrations have stopped. If there are none, it is generally safe to remain in the building. Evacuation is only necessary when there are visible signs of structural defects.
The Police said buildings in Singapore are designed to established building codes and are sufficiently robust to withstand tremors caused by distant earthquakes.
The National Environment Agency confirmed an earthquake occurred at about 9.52am in Southern Sumatra, approximately 480 kilometres southwest from Singapore.
Experts said the earthquake is likely linked to Wednesday's temblor - and more aftershocks are expected.
Professor Kerry Sieh, Professor of Geology, Earth Observatory of Singapore, NTU, said: "There will be more aftershocks, but it can go either way - about whether they are going to be felt in Singapore.
"If there are going to be earthquakes felt in Singapore and aftershocks from the earthquakes, they are probably 6.2 or 6.3 or so; if they are smaller than that, it probably would not be felt."
Tiger Airways has suspended all flights to and from Padang until further notice.
All affected Tiger Airways passengers travelling to and from Padang within the next seven days will have the option of a free flight change to a date within seven days from the original departure date.
SilkAir said it is monitoring the situation, and has not delayed or cancelled any flights bound for Indonesia. - CNA/yb/ms
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