Authorities stumped, 'Ipoh bang' remains a mystery

IPOH: The mystery of the loud bang and tremors around the city here on Thursday (Oct 4) persists as authorities are still unable to identify where it came from.  

On Friday (Oct 5), the Perak Minerals and Geoscience Department (JMG) denied that the loud bang heard in most parts of the city on Thursday was from blasting works at quarries under its purview.  

JMG director Ahmad Zukni Ahmad Khalil said they had investigated the matter and confirmed that the sound was not due to quarry blasting works.  

He said that the incident occurred between 11.15am and 11.30am, while blasting at quarries is only allowed between noon and 5pm.  

Ahmad Zukni said that blasting activities are conducted under strict standard operating procedures, involving the JMG, the Land and Mines Department as well as the police.  

"There is definitely no link between the loud bang and any of the legalised quarries under our purview.  

"Furthermore, when controlled blasting is carried out, the sound or tremor is only heard or felt within the confines of the specific quarry area," he told a press conference at the JMG building here.  

People have been questioning the source of the mysterious loud bang, which could be heard by locals at Tambun, Ipoh Garden, Old Town, Station 18, and even as far as Taiping.  

Members of the public are speculating its source, with some saying it was a Royal Malaysian Air Force bomb test, or an accident at a construction site, or aftershocks caused by the volcano eruption in Indonesia.  

Ahmad Zukni said he heard the loud bang himself at his office, and that the nearest quarry was located some 8km away.

"The mysterious sound is still a question mark, as all the relevant authorities have denied carrying out any exercise. The Metrological Department has also denied that it was due to an earthquake," he added.  

There are a total of 76 quarries under the purview of the JMG in various locations in Perak, including in Ipoh, Kuala Kangsar, Manjung and Batang Padang.  

Also present was Perak Quarry Association honorary lifetime president Datuk Musa Nordin.  

He also denied that the sound was due to blasting works in quarries.  

He said the impact of any blasting is only felt within a radius of a few hundred metres, and it was impossible for it to be heard a few kilometres away.  

"I know people are concerned about the noise, and they want to know what it is. But at the same time, it is unfair to spread old quarry blasting videos, and to link the sound to a few quarries in Ipoh," Musa added.