Mosar team carrying one of the two female climbers who suffered Acute Mountain Sickness while descending Mt Kinabalu.
KOTA KINABALU: Some 239 climbers who were stranded at the top of Mount Kinabalu during yesterday’s 9.06 earthquake have safely arrived at Timpohon Gate from Laba Rata.
State Fire and Rescue Department Public Relations officer, Superintendent Mohd Affendy Ramin said two female climbers experienced Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) while descending the mountain.
“They experienced Acute Mountain Sickness and have to be given a piggyback down by Mosar team,” he said yesterday.
Among those stranded at Mt Kinabalu were 130 climbers, 42 Malim Gunung, six Mosar personnel, four porters, fi ve Sabah Park search and rescue personnel, 12 Mountain Torq members, four workers, 30 Sutera staff and six Sabah Park staff.
Affendy said the search and rescue members were divided into eight teams and the stranded climbers were taken down in stages.
The fi rst team reached Timpohon Gate at 1.28am yesterday while the last team arrived safely at 4.19am, about seven hours after the 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit at 16km South West of Ranau at 9.06pm on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun said all the 130 climbers arrived safely at Kinabalu Park Headquarters early yesterday morning.
In a twitter update, Masidi said the last climber arrived at Timpohon Gate, the starting point of climb, at 4.20am.
Masidi shared another update of a picture of Mt Kinabalu from Kinabalu Park Headquarters taken by Sabah Park director Dr Jamili Nais, captioned “beautiful day, calm & peaceful.”
In reply to a question by netizen regarding town alarm systems in Ranau and Kundasang as well as preparation of boarding schools with standard operating procedures in times of emergency, Masidi said: “Alhamdulilah semua selamat” (Praise God, all are safe).
The six-second earthquake could be felt in Kota Kinabalu, Kolombong, Lintas, Penampang as well as some part in Papar.