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Nine more bodies recovered, bringing death toll to 11 on Malaysia's highest peak after quake

Xinhua, June 6, 2015 Adjust font size:

Nine more bodies of climbers were recovered on Mount Kinabalu, the highest mountain in Malaysia, bringing the death toll to 11 after a 5.9-magnitude earthquake hit the eastern Sabah state, an official said on Saturday.

Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Masidi Manjun said that the mountain would be closed for at least three weeks to handle the damages by the quake on the trails, accommodation and other fatalities.

He said that a forensics team of the police was standing by to identify the bodies that would be airlifted out of the mountain.

The Chinese Consulate in Kota Kinabalu told Xinhua that one Chinese national is among those who are still missing.

The Malaysian Meteorological Department said the earthquake, which occurred at 7:15 a.m. local time (2315 GMT) on Thursday, was centered 16 km northwest of Ranau near Mount Kinabalu, with a depth of 54 km. It was felt across the Sabah state.

The tremor triggered small landslides and stonewalls on the 4, 095-meter Mount Kinabalu, the highest peak in Malaysia. According to the photos posted online by the trapped climbers, part of the iconic Donkey's Ear twin peaks of the mountain were badly damaged.

Hikers always start climbing the mountain after midnight from the camp and reach the top by dawn to watch the sunrise. Endi