MetMalaysia said the epicentre of the earthquake was located at 5.97°N and 116.57°E with a depth of 10km.

It added, however, that there were no tsunami threats as a result of the earthquake.

“The earthquake occurred approximately 15km south of Ranau, and tremors were felt in the surrounding areas,” it added.

This is the second such earthquake to hit Sabah this month after a minor earthquake with a magnitude of 2.7 struck Tawau on Dec 5.

Meanwhile, the Sabah fire and rescue department said it received a call about the incident at 3.17pm today, and a team from the Ranau fire and rescue station was deployed to carry out patrols around the district, Bernama reported.

“The team found that the situation was under control and no casualties were reported. The operation ended at 4.30pm,” the department said in a statement.