JOHOR BAHRU (April 12): Residents of two housing estates in Pasir Gudang here also claim to have felt the impact of the fire and explosion at the Pengerang Integrated Complex (PIC) earlier today.

The two estates, namely Taman Kota Masai and Taman Scientex, are located about 81km and 77km from the complex respectively.

A resident of Taman Kota Masai, Ahmad Faiq Amran, 24, said he heard a blast and felt the tremors, when he was outside the house with his friends between 1 and 2 am.

"I and my friends were up late, chatting. We were shocked when we suddenly heard (the faint sound of) a blast and felt some vibration. We wondered where the noise and tremors came from, but did not think much of it," he said when contacted by Bernama here today. 

"After that, I got to know about the incident from a WhatsApp group, and finally guessed that it (the sound) could have been from the blast," he said, working as a crane operator.

Taman Scientex resident, Nur Ella Fazirah Suradi, 25, said she and her husband, Muhamad Afiq Mat Taib, 27, felt the vibration at about 1.30 am.

However, the housewife said at first, she thought the sound and vibration came from a nearby factory, as Pasir Gudang was also an industrial estate.

"The vibration was not too strong and the sound of the blast was also faint. When I got to know (about the incident) this morning, it reinforced my hunch," said the mother of one.

According to Kota Tinggi police chief Supt Ahsmon Bajah, the incident at about 1.20 am took place at one of the lots at Petronas' Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development (RAPID) project site in PIC.

He said two local security guards had suffered light injuries, and were treated at the complex's Central Medical Facility. — Bernama