By P. Prem Kumar
KUALA LUMPUR
A 6.0-magnitude earthquake that rocked the Malaysian state of Sabah early Friday has left around 160 people stranded, some injured, on Mount Kinabalu - one of Southeast Asia's highest peaks.
The U.S Geological Survey said the quake happened around 7.15 a.m. (0015GMT), at a depth of 10 meters, its epicentre just 54 kilometers from the mountain on Borneo island.
By late evening, Malaysia’s Star Online had reported that ten climbers were unconscious, and three guides stuck between boulders and rocks, with 105 people stranded overnight.
Defence Minister Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said that army troops had been placed on standby, ready to be deployed to assist in rescue operations.
"This involves one battalion in Kota Kinabalu and one battalion in Labuan, in addition to the existing troops from Kota Kinabalu," he said in a Twitter posting.
The Star reported that helicopters had attempted to winch the unconscious and injured off the mountain but failed due to the thick clouds that frequently hug the peak.
“Before it turned pitch dark, we were able to air drop blankets for those trapped,” an unnamed rescue official added.
The Star said the official feared the victims may face hypothermia as the temperature can drop to below zero.
An initial report stated that one Singaporean woman had been killed, and more people were injured although officials later in the day clarified that rescue teams had not reached any dead bodies.
The tremor is reported to have lasted for around 30 seconds, but caused minimal damage to buildings.
