IPOH - The tremors and loud boom felt in several parts of Ipoh today have raised new questions, with claims emerging that the noise was caused by sonic booms from fighter jets.
This was after a similar incident was reported in Perth, Australia, in August involving four F-15 aircraft from the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) conducting training outside a military airbase in Western Australia.
Defence analyst Zaki Salleh said this was not impossible, as sonic booms could generate high sound energy when aircraft flew at speeds faster than the speed of sound.
"Sonic booms do not cause any harm to the aircraft and there are no explosions occurring in the air.
"However, in this case, only confirmation from authorities, including aviation or military authorities, can verify the true source of the sound.
"Military protocols usually restrict such flights to operations over water to minimise impacts on populated areas," he said when contacted.
He stressed that in most cases, sonic booms can indeed cause public concern and anxiety, but do not typically result in damage to buildings.
He said if the sound wave was too strong, it could potentially cause window glass to crack or shatter.
"It would not cause damage to the entire building because the structure must be built with shock resistance," he added.
Sinar reported that a strong tremor was felt in several areas around Ipoh, including Tasek, Stadium Perak, Meru, Falim and Manjoi, as well as at the North-South Expressway near the Menora Tunnel around 11am, today.
The tremor, which lasted for several seconds, was also followed by a loud boom that startled and alarmed the public.
The Perak police have confirmed that the tremors and loud noises were not caused by explosive training from security forces or quarry activities.
In October 2018, a similar incident occurred in this city and nearby areas, including Taiping, but the cause of that incident remained a mystery to this day.
The Perak Mineral and Geoscience (JMG) Department denied that any quarry activities were taking place when the boom was heard.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department also denied that the tremors and loud noises were caused by an earthquake, while the Air Force Academy (ATU) stated that the incident was not due to their training activities.