IPOH: Residents in several areas of Ipoh town reported hearing a loud explosive sound and tremors on Monday; however, mysterious booming sounds have been reported over the years.
Almost 50 years ago, a loud sound signalled an unimaginable disaster that claimed dozens of lives.
Kampung Kacang Putih in Buntong is celebrated for its rich history of traditional Indian snacks, but beneath the village's fame is a haunting tragedy that few remember today.
The kacang putih traders, who migrated from Ettayapuram, Tamil Nadu, during British colonial rule, initially settled at the base of Gunung Cheroh.
Their lives took a horrifying turn on the night of Oct 18, 1973, when a massive limestone slab fell from the hill, crushing 40 people to death. Only 12 bodies were recovered; the rest were never found.
On Nov 13, 2020, the New Straits Times interviewed Subrumaniam Thangavelu, one of the survivors, who was just 14 at the time.
"We were watching Tamil news on TV around 7.30pm when suddenly the power went out.
"A relative came running, shouting that the hill behind the temple had collapsed. It was pitch black, and we couldn't see anything. Soldiers arrived later, using cranes to retrieve the bodies," he vividly recalled that fateful night.
He said his family, along with several others whose homes were in front of the village temple, were spared but others were not as fortunate.
"A British-era bungalow rented to dhobi (laundry) workers and a nearby cattle shelter was completely destroyed.
"For nearly a year, crowds flocked to the village to witness the aftermath of the disaster, marvelling at the giant rock slab that had tumbled down.
"According to local legend, a mysterious old woman had once visited the village, warning that the rocks would fall. The villagers dismissed her as insane.
"I'm not sure how true that is," he added, reflecting on the eerie tale.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, the state government relocated the surviving kacang putih traders to Buntong, where Kampung Kacang Putih was established.
Although the original village lies abandoned, the temple still stands, and to this day, the kacang putih traders return to hold prayers there annually, three days after Deepavali.
Now overgrown with wild shrubs and trees, the area is a sombre reminder of Perak's deadliest rockfall.
The rock slab remains, a silent monument to the lives lost and the tragedy that forever changed the fate of the community.
Almost half a century later, the story of the Gunung Cheroh rockfall lingers, largely forgotten but no less devastating.
The sound of a loud crash or boom continues to haunt Ipoh folk.
More recently in an incident on Oct 20, 2018, residents in town were also startled by a loud booming sound in the afternoon.
The sound raised concern among locals, leading to various speculations about its cause, including the possibility of an explosion or a meteor phenomenon.
Some suggested that the noise might have been caused by a sonic boom, which occurs when an object moves faster than the speed of sound, but no official confirmation was given regarding the exact source of the boom.
The incident remains a mystery as no further reports were able to confirm the true cause of the sound.
The most recent incident took place on Monday at 11.06am.
Perak police chief Datuk Azizi Mat Aris confirmed that no explosion-related training was conducted, no reports received of any seismic activity in the area and no quarry blasting took place on that day.
A geoscientist, Omen Necrofis said that the three incidents of loud explosions in Ipoh may be related to geological factors.
He said that limestone hill areas, such as those in Ipoh, have the potential for rockfalls from the edges of the limestone cliffs.
"One of the most significant incidents occurred on Oct 23, 1973, during prolonged rainfall in Ipoh, where a large limestone cliff collapse occurred at Gunung Cheroh.
"The sound of the collapse was extremely loud, as described in the news (as if something had fallen from the sky and struck the earth)," he said on his Facebook page.
He added the recent case of a loud sound in Ipoh might be related to the collapse of a limestone block, but it could not be ascertained if it happened on the cliff face or inside a limestone cave unless there were witnesses who saw it.
"Depending on the size, the larger the collapse, the louder the sound and the greater the vibrations produced," he said.
He added another geological phenomenon that can generate explosions and shock waves is the 'rock burst.'
"In Ipoh, the granite rocks of the Kledang Range and its limestone formations have a high potential for 'rock burst' due to stress, compression, or pressure on the rocks.
"This is the third time this incident has occurred in Ipoh, namely in 2018, 2020, and 2024.
"There were no aircraft operations, quarry blasting activities, or visible bolide streaks during the event. These two geological factors could be the cause of the explosion and tremors," he said.