Kuala Lumpur, 23 Feb

A powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck early on Monday in eastern Malaysia, according to the US Geological Survey.

The epicentre of the quake was located less than 100km north-east of Kota Kinabalu, the capital of coastal Sabah state, at a depth of 619.8km, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said. The quake struck at 12.57 am.

The head of MetMalaysia, Moh Hisham Mohd Anip, stated that the previous strongest earthquake, a 6.0 magnitude, in Malaysia hit the country on June 5, 2015, in Ranau in Sabah and claimed 18 lives, Bernama news agency reported.

The country's Met head was cited by Bernama as saying that the earthquake occurred off Sabah's coast because the State lies near the Pacific ring of fire, a seismically active zone formed by the movement of the Earth's tectonic plates.

He told the news agency that authorities are monitoring the situation and "no aftershocks were observed" so far.

Residents living in Kota Kinabalu and the surrounding areas reported feeling the impacts of the earthquake.

"The quake lasted around 10 seconds, but felt much longer. The ceiling fan in the living room swung violently, and picture frames shook. It was stronger than any earthquake we've experienced before," a driver in Putatun was quoted as saying.

Another person said she was sleeping and woke to find her "wardrobe door swinging" due to the building's movement.