AFP, Kundasang :
A strong earthquake that jolted Malaysia’s Mount Kinabalu killed at least 11 people and left another 8 missing, an official said Saturday, as authorities searched for survivors on Southeast Asia’s highest peak.
The 6.0-magnitude quake struck early Friday near the picturesque mountain, a popular tourist destination, sending landslides and huge granite boulders tumbling down from the 4,095-metre (13,435-foot) peak’s wide, craggy crown.
“From Kinabalu park management, I want to express my condolences to the families of the victims,” said Masidi Manjun, tourism minister for the Malaysian state of Sabah on Borneo island, as he announced the toll at the mountain park’s headquarters.
Masidi said authorities could not yet confirm the identities of the dead and missing.
Malaysian media reports said they included members of a Singapore primary school group on an excursion to the peak, including a 12-year-old girl who was killed.
“It’s very sad. The Singapore children were so happy when they arrived here, but now…” Masidi said, trailing off as he shook his head.Malaysian rescuers earlier on Saturday finished bringing down to safety 137 hikers who were stuck on the mountain for up to 18 hours after the quake damaged a key trail and they faced the threat of continuing rockfalls.
Crews and officials engaged in further search and rescue efforts were kept on edge, however, by a series of aftershocks, including one on Saturday afternoon that Malaysian officials rated at 4.5-magnitude.
The temblor sent staff and journalists scurrying out of the park’s headquarters.
A strong earthquake that jolted Malaysia’s Mount Kinabalu killed at least 11 people and left another 8 missing, an official said Saturday, as authorities searched for survivors on Southeast Asia’s highest peak.
The 6.0-magnitude quake struck early Friday near the picturesque mountain, a popular tourist destination, sending landslides and huge granite boulders tumbling down from the 4,095-metre (13,435-foot) peak’s wide, craggy crown.
“From Kinabalu park management, I want to express my condolences to the families of the victims,” said Masidi Manjun, tourism minister for the Malaysian state of Sabah on Borneo island, as he announced the toll at the mountain park’s headquarters.
Masidi said authorities could not yet confirm the identities of the dead and missing.
Malaysian media reports said they included members of a Singapore primary school group on an excursion to the peak, including a 12-year-old girl who was killed.
“It’s very sad. The Singapore children were so happy when they arrived here, but now…” Masidi said, trailing off as he shook his head.Malaysian rescuers earlier on Saturday finished bringing down to safety 137 hikers who were stuck on the mountain for up to 18 hours after the quake damaged a key trail and they faced the threat of continuing rockfalls.
Crews and officials engaged in further search and rescue efforts were kept on edge, however, by a series of aftershocks, including one on Saturday afternoon that Malaysian officials rated at 4.5-magnitude.
The temblor sent staff and journalists scurrying out of the park’s headquarters.
