Mt Kinabalu quake death toll up to 18
Authorities accused of slow, chaotic response
SINGAPORE: Singapore has declared today a day of national remembrance after at least six local students on an excursion and two adults accompanying them were killed in an earthquake on Malaysia’s Mount Kinabalu.
“The Prime Minister is deeply saddened by the deaths of eight Singaporeans in the earthquake at Mount Kinabalu,” the office of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in a statement yesterday.
“On behalf of all Singaporeans, the prime minister expresses his deepest condolences and sympathies to their families and loved ones.
“Monday, 8 June, 2015 will be a Day of National Remembrance. State flags on all government buildings will be flown at halfmast,” it added.
The number killed in the disaster currently stands at 16, with two still missing.
Singapore confirmed that the bodies of six students from the Tanjong Katong Primary School had been identified.
It said a teacher and a Singaporean adventure guide perished, while another student and a teacher remained missing.
29 students and eight teachers from the school were part of an excursion to the popular climbing destination which was jolted by a 6.0-magnitude quake on Friday just as the 4,095m mountain was crowded with hikers.
The tremor triggered thunderous landslides that obliterated sections of trail on the peak, which is Southeast Asia’s tallest and located in the state of Sabah on Borneo island.
At the school yesterday evening some students and their families left messages of support for the families of those who had perished in the tragedy.
The government statement said a minute’s silence will be held at all Southeast Asian Games venues at the start of the competition, which Singapore is hosting, today.
“We hope that this collective expression of sympathy and support from all Singaporeans will give solace and comfort to the families and loved ones of the victims,” it said.
The victims were 6 Malaysians, one from the Philippines, China and Japan, and 7 Singaporeans, including the children who were on the school trekking trip.
Minister for Tourism, Culture and Environment Masidi Manjun told reporters in Kinabalu park that two people were listed as missing and that body parts had been found.
The search and rescue operations would continue today, Mr Manjun said.
Some climbers managed to make it down but more than 130 from 16 countries had been stranded on the mountain on Borneo island when the quake struck on Friday.
Rescue and recovery operations have been hampered by rubble and thick clouds which prevented helicopters from quickly retrieving the bodies.
“KM6.5 of the route was dubbed “river of stones” when earthquake struck early Friday which rendered the track impassable, trapping climbers,” Mr Manjun said on Twitter.
Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said the country needed its own earthquake monitoring centre.
“In the latest incident, no one issued any warning. It may happen again and we do not have a department responsible to monitor impending disasters here,” state news agency Bernama quoted him as saying at the Kinabalu site yesterday.
The US Geological Survey said the epicentre of the quake was about 54km from the state capital of Kota Kinabalu.
Body parts had been found on sections of the mountain, suggesting the awesome power of the landslides, police added.
Rescuers on Saturday had escorted down to safety 137 hikers who were stuck on the mountain for up to 18 hours by the rockfalls.
But an Australian climber accused Malaysian authorities of a slow and chaotic response.
“The whole government emergency response was a farce,” Vee Jin Dumlao told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, asking why stranded hikers were not reached by helicopter.
Officials have said poor visibility at the summit made a helicopter mission dangerous.
Mr Masidi said on Twitter that the search and rescue effort would be examined afterward but added, “Now is not the time to blame.”