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Sabah, Malaysia was struck by an earthquake in the early morning of Friday, June 5. The 5.9-magnitude Kinabalu earthquake took the lives of 11 people in Kundasang as landslides and large granite boulders fell from the mountainside.
Four Filipinos were on a trek to Mount Kinabalu when the quake happened, but Sabah authorities reported that Mary Nicole Gail Angeles, Kenneth Cueto Almonte, Anna Rose Gumantaron, and Michael William Echevarria were able to safely reach the Kinabalu Park base camp. To date, there are still no casualties among other Filipinos living in the area.
There were hikers from Singapore, the United Kingdom, Thailand, Turkey, China, Japan, and the Philippines who were stuck in the mountain for 18 hours until they were rescued the same night. A total of 137 hikers have already been rescued. Rescue efforts are ongoing for other climbers who may still be trapped on the mountain.
The quake is reported to be one of the strongest in the country in decades. It jolted a wide area of Sabah, shattering windows, cracking walls, and sending people fleeing from buildings in the nearby state capital of Kota Kinabalu.
Masidi Manjun, tourism minister for the Malaysian state of Sabah on Borneo island, said all climbing would be suspended at Mount Kinabalu for at least three weeks to allow for cleanup and repairs to damaged trails, accommodation, and other facilities.
Photos of the rescue mission for the hikers below from K Bala Supramaniam’s Facebook page. (Warning: Graphic content)
