Malaysia's Kinabalu Mountain Earthquake: 11 Bodies Recovered, 8 Missing, 137 Climbers Safe

Eleven bodies were recovered Saturday from the Kinabalu Mountain in Malaysia's Sabah state, one of the tallest peaks in Southeast Asia, after an earthquake struck the region on Friday and stranded over 130 people, state Tourism Minister Masidi Manjun said.

On Saturday, mountain guides helped 167 people, mostly climbers, reach to safety, Malaysia’s fire and rescue department said in a tweet. However, eight people are still reported missing. Two of the people, who died in the incident, were identified as Rubbi Sappingi, 30, a mountain guide with Amazing Borneo Tours, and Rachael Ho Yann Shiuan, 12, a Singaporean student, CNN reported.

The 6.0-magnitude earthquake damaged several buildings in the Ranau town in the country’s north. Manjun said that police forensic team had reached the location to provide assistance.

The earthquake had trapped the climbers on the mountain for several hours as initial rescue efforts came to a standstill after bad weather, BBC reported.

"We were exhausted, starving at the same time ... it was very difficult," 29-year-old Nurul Hani Ideris, one of the rescued climbers, said, according to CNN, adding that she was “very disappointed” with the Malaysian government. "No one came to save us," she said, adding that the climbers saw the fire brigade and army only after reaching near the base.

A woman identified as Charlene Dmp had said in a Facebook post earlier: "Currently we're waiting for the helicopter to save us,” adding: "We cannot go down for now because there are lots of stones falling, there's no safe route down, and there are still tremors. Thank you for all your concern and prayers," BBC reported.

The rescued people will be taken to the Laban Rata rest house, where food and other facilities were arranged for them, Manjun reportedly said.

The Kinabalu Mountain is 4,095 meters (13,435 ft) tall and is a popular destination for mountaineers. After the quake, all activities on the peak were suspended. While the Malaysian authorities have not officially released details about the nationalities of the stranded people, a report by Malay Mail Online cited a display board at the Sabah Parks headquarters, which mentioned that 117 Malaysians, 38 Singaporeans, five Filipinos, five Americans, four Dutch, three British and Koreans were among the climbers.