About 160 climbers were stranded on Mount Kinabalu, one of Southeast Asia’s highest mountains, after a powerful quake hit the area in eastern Borneo.
“They could not come down as the trail has been rendered impassable by falling rocks,” said Masidi Manjun, the tourism minister for the Malaysian state of Sabah.
Helicopters can’t land due to poor weather conditions. So, rescuers are trying to find an alternative way to reach the climbers, Masidi said.
The magnitude-6.0 quake struck early in the morning, damaging several building in the town of Ranau – the epicenter, Malaysia’s official Bernama news agency.
Videos and social media purportedly taken from the base of the mountain appeared to show large rock slides enveloping the peak after the tremor and people anxiously looking for shelter.
At least four people were injured, including two whose arms were broken by falling rocks, Masidi said. Two instructors are missing, he said.
The Star Online news site reported a doctor who was able to return to base camp confirmed at least one death.
At 4,095 meters above sea level, Kinabalu is one of the highest mountains in Southeast Asia. The UNESCO-listed Mount Kinabalu National Park is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the state of Sabah, in Malaysian Borneo, with visitors forced to book two to three months in advance to secure one of 196 daily allocated hiking permits.
About 195 registered climbers from 21 countries, excluding guides and park staff, were on the mountain Friday, said Jamili Nais, the park director. Thirty five have made their way down.
In the group of 195 were five Americans, one Brit and one German.
Jamili didn’t know whether they were among the 35 who are safe.