Tsunami threat ruled out after Banda Sea quake as storms lash parts of Malaysia

LocalEnvironment
29 Mar 2026 • 8:40 AM MYT
The Vibes
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THE Meteorological Department (METMalaysia) has confirmed there is no tsunami threat to the country following a magnitude 6 earthquake in the Banda Sea, Indonesia, in the early hours of the morning.

Its Director-General, Dr Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip, said the epicentre was located at 7.9 degrees south and 127.8 degrees east, at a depth of 173 kilometres.

“The incident occurred 467km south of Ambon, Indonesia, at 2.38am today,” he said in a statement.

In a separate advisory, METMalaysia issued warnings of thunderstorms and heavy rain expected across parts of Perak, Selangor and Sarawak during the morning.

The department said conditions were forecast to affect Sabak Bernam, Kuala Selangor, Klang and Kuala Langat in Selangor until 9am.

“It is also expected in Kerian, Larut, Matang and Selama, Perak Tengah, Bagan Datuk as well as Hilir Perak.

“In Sarawak, it is expected in Serian, Samarahan (Simunjan), Sri Aman, Betong and Kapit (Song),” the statement said.

METMalaysia also warned of thunderstorms, heavy rain and strong winds over coastal waters off Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Melaka until 9am.

It said similar conditions were forecast over the Straits of Malacca and the southeastern waters off Bunguran, Indonesia, within the same period.

“These conditions may cause winds of up to 50kmh and rough seas with waves reaching up to 3.5 metres, posing a danger to small boats,” it said.

The department added that no tropical cyclone activity had been detected within its monitoring area, defined between latitudes 0 and 20 north and longitudes 95 and 130 east. - March 29, 2026