AS we mourn the deaths of 19 climbers and guides caught at the summit and slope of Mount Kinabalu when the earthquake struck early Friday morning, we should also contemplate the lessons learnt from this disaster.
It was estimated that there were about 190 climbers and guides at the summit and on the slope of the mountain when rocks and boulders dislodged by the tremors of the quake rained down them.
In the midst of the catastrophic chaos that followed, some heroes were born – the local guides who were at the scene with the climbers.
They quickly took charge of the situation as best as they could although they too were victims of the quake, in fact the first confirmed fatality was one of them while several were also injured and needed help as much as their charges.
Several climbers have expressed their gratitude to the guides whom they attributed their survival to.
The guides of Mount Kinabalu have always been the pride of the tourism industry of Sabah and are one of the reasons why so many climbers and tourists climb that mountain.
If we can discern a silver lining in this dark cloud, it is the bravery and hardiness of these men and women whose strength and stamina is phenomenal.
There were also shortcomings in the aftermath of the quake, notably the mobilisation of the Search and Rescue (SAR) team, some of whom were criticised by the climbers for doing very little in helping them.
However, it should be noted that the slope of Mount Kinabalu is a hostile place for those who are not trained climbers, especially now that the paths have been damaged or altered by the quake.
It is likely that those SAR team members accused of standing idly by at the base camp on the slope were not trained to respond to disasters on mountains and could not do much to help.
The Kinabalu Park management should now form a SAR team specially trained in mountain rescue, given the number of climbers and tourists going up the mountain.
Then there is the inevitable blame game that ensues after every disaster – interestingly the locals and even some Sabah ministers blamed the tourists who stripped naked at the summit and urinated there for the quake and the deaths and injuries of the climbers.
They believed the actions of the foreign tourists angered the mountain spirit and it reacted by inflicting the earthquake on the mountain which claimed the lives of the climbers.
While it might seem laughable for outsiders to associate the earthquake to the angry guardian spirit of the mountain, it is also a folly to ignore local tradition even if one does not believe in the taboos.
So serious is the allegation and belief that the offending climbers seen as the reason for the disaster are now being prevented from leaving the state so that they could face the music in the native court for their misbehaviour.
But a crucial question must be answered before any charges could be brought against them – were they warned about breaking the taboos and told of the consequences of breaking them?
Perhaps this tradition is part of the briefing routine by local guides to climbers, but was it made clear to them that they would be charged if they were to show any disrespect to superstitions?
If they were not made aware of all this then it is difficult to press any charge against them and they should be let off with a severe reprimand.
The Sabah government should pass a law to charge anyone desecrating the mountain which the locals consider sacred so that those who trample on local customs while climbing Mount Kinabalu could be charged in future.