Quake strands more than 200 climbers on Malaysian peak
There were reports of climbers trapped and injured
A 6-magnitude quake hit Malaysia affecting Sabah state where Mount Kinabalu is located. PHOTO: AFP
KUALA LAMPUR:
A 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck near Malaysia's Mount Kinabalu on Borneo Friday, injuring climbers on the popular peak and leaving more than 200 stranded by rockfalls, officials and local reports said.
State officials were quoted by the New Straits Times saying at least four climbers had suffered injuries including broken bones and head wounds as the quake loosened stones and boulders on the 4,095-metre (13,435-foot) mountain's wide granite crown.
Authorities have ordered an estimated 200 climbers and at least 40 local guides to stay put at the summit for now due to lingering danger from falling stones and because rockfalls had rendered at least one key descent route impassable.
Fire and rescue officials said the climbers included both foreigners and Malaysians, according to local news reports.
The force of the tremor was so strong that it snapped off one of the two "Donkey's Ear" rock outcroppings that form a distinctive part of the peak's craggy profile, tourism minister for Sabah state Masidi Manjun said on his Twitter feed.
"Bad news confirmed! Part of the iconic 'Donkey's Ear' @Mount Kinabalu is gone due to strong tremor this morning," he said.
The picturesque mountain, a major tourist draw, has been closed for climbing until further notice.
The US Geological Survey said the quake struck at around 7:15 am (2315 GMT) at a depth of 10 kilometres, with its epicentre located about 54 kilometres (34 miles) east of Kota Kinabalu, capital of Sabah.
No tsunami warning was issued and there were no initial reports of major damage.
Read:Four dead in helicopter crash in quake-hit Nepal
Colin Forsythe, a resident of Kota Kinabalu, said the quake lasted around 15 seconds and felt "as if a truck had crashed into a brick wall".
Residents throughout the quake-affected region reportedly fled in panic from homes and buildings, including Kota Kinabalu's International Airport.
Social media users uploaded photos showing damaged roads, shattered storefront windows, cracked walls and floors and rooms strewn with debris flung from shelves.
There were no report of any deaths from the quake.
Major earthquakes are rare in Malaysia, which lies just outside the Ring of Fire, the belt of seismic activity running around the Pacific basin.
Thousands of people complete the relatively easy climb of Mount Kinabalu each year.
Malaysia is on a school break and the peak was busy with visitors at the time of the tremor.
Unless those stranded at the top can be brought down, they face a chilly night on a moonscape-like summit frequently lashed with heavy rain and where night temperatures can dip well below freezing.
Most climbers attack the peak early in the morning after overnighting at a resthouse perched at 3,270 metres above sea level.
The vast majority spend only a few hours on the peak before heading back down and thus typically do not take food or camping equipment.
Sabah's state parks director Jamili Nais was quoted by the New Straits Times saying that the injured would be brought down using helicopters.
But other officials later said at least one helicopter had to turn back due to bad weather, and that a team of local guides may try to carry supplies up on foot instead.
Mount Kinabalu is sacred to the local Kadazan Dusun tribal group, who consider it a resting place for departed spirits.
A group of 10 apparently Western men and women angered locals last weekend when they snapped nude photos at the summit and uploaded them on the Internet.
Some Malaysian social media users posited that the quake was a sign the spirits had been angered by the act.
Authorities have not yet publicly identified the Caucasian-looking tourists or their suspected nationalities. Media reports said they had already left the country.
A 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck near Malaysia's Mount Kinabalu on Borneo Friday, injuring climbers on the popular peak and leaving more than 200 stranded by rockfalls, officials and local reports said.
State officials were quoted by the New Straits Times saying at least four climbers had suffered injuries including broken bones and head wounds as the quake loosened stones and boulders on the 4,095-metre (13,435-foot) mountain's wide granite crown.
Authorities have ordered an estimated 200 climbers and at least 40 local guides to stay put at the summit for now due to lingering danger from falling stones and because rockfalls had rendered at least one key descent route impassable.
Fire and rescue officials said the climbers included both foreigners and Malaysians, according to local news reports.
The force of the tremor was so strong that it snapped off one of the two "Donkey's Ear" rock outcroppings that form a distinctive part of the peak's craggy profile, tourism minister for Sabah state Masidi Manjun said on his Twitter feed.
"Bad news confirmed! Part of the iconic 'Donkey's Ear' @Mount Kinabalu is gone due to strong tremor this morning," he said.
The picturesque mountain, a major tourist draw, has been closed for climbing until further notice.
The US Geological Survey said the quake struck at around 7:15 am (2315 GMT) at a depth of 10 kilometres, with its epicentre located about 54 kilometres (34 miles) east of Kota Kinabalu, capital of Sabah.
No tsunami warning was issued and there were no initial reports of major damage.
Read:Four dead in helicopter crash in quake-hit Nepal
Colin Forsythe, a resident of Kota Kinabalu, said the quake lasted around 15 seconds and felt "as if a truck had crashed into a brick wall".
Residents throughout the quake-affected region reportedly fled in panic from homes and buildings, including Kota Kinabalu's International Airport.
Social media users uploaded photos showing damaged roads, shattered storefront windows, cracked walls and floors and rooms strewn with debris flung from shelves.
There were no report of any deaths from the quake.
Major earthquakes are rare in Malaysia, which lies just outside the Ring of Fire, the belt of seismic activity running around the Pacific basin.
Thousands of people complete the relatively easy climb of Mount Kinabalu each year.
Malaysia is on a school break and the peak was busy with visitors at the time of the tremor.
Unless those stranded at the top can be brought down, they face a chilly night on a moonscape-like summit frequently lashed with heavy rain and where night temperatures can dip well below freezing.
Most climbers attack the peak early in the morning after overnighting at a resthouse perched at 3,270 metres above sea level.
The vast majority spend only a few hours on the peak before heading back down and thus typically do not take food or camping equipment.
Sabah's state parks director Jamili Nais was quoted by the New Straits Times saying that the injured would be brought down using helicopters.
But other officials later said at least one helicopter had to turn back due to bad weather, and that a team of local guides may try to carry supplies up on foot instead.
Mount Kinabalu is sacred to the local Kadazan Dusun tribal group, who consider it a resting place for departed spirits.
A group of 10 apparently Western men and women angered locals last weekend when they snapped nude photos at the summit and uploaded them on the Internet.
Some Malaysian social media users posited that the quake was a sign the spirits had been angered by the act.
Authorities have not yet publicly identified the Caucasian-looking tourists or their suspected nationalities. Media reports said they had already left the country.