Rapid water flow on the Mount Kinabalu climbing route as climbers make their way down.
KOTA KINABALU (July 11): A total of 155 climbers on Mount Kinabalu safely crossed the cascading streams at the summit of the mountain following heavy rain that hit early yesterday morning.
According to a statement from the Sabah Parks Trustees Board (SPTB), the 6.15 am incident saw fast-flowing water streaming down from the plateau area on the KM 7 Sayat-Sayat Checkpoint trail, which in itself is an alarming experience for the uninitiated.
But it was simply routine with the fickle weather there, as according to the statement, the elite Mountain Search and Rescue Team (Mosar) and mountain guides had monitored the rainy area and found it safe for climbers to negotiate using the safety ropes bolted in place.
“All climbers successfully crossed the rapids at 7.48 am. Rapids like the one that occurred are a normal occurrence that will always happen if it rains.
“Sabah Parks has established SOPs (standard operating procedures) for climber safety taking into account the weather conditions on Mt Kinabalu,” the statement said today.
Yesterday, media (and viral videos) reported that climbers on Mt Kinabalu faced harrowing moments when they had to wade through rapids around the peak of the mountain early Friday morning, following heavy rain since Thursday and a video of the rare incident had gone viral on social media.
According to the statement, the agency’s team monitored the weather conditions on the day of the incident (Thursday) and found it safe for mountain climbing, before the climb opened at 3.26 am.
“However, at 6.15 am, the weather changed to heavy rain and strong winds which caused the formation of rapids in the Sayat-Sayat Checkpoint (which is reached by ropes in last 200 metres). The climbers who descended after the ascent to the top were forced to pass through the rapids,” the statement said.
The Sabah Parks Trustees Board also advised climbers not to panic if they encounter such a situation and to follow the advice of the security team and mountain guides for safety.-Bernama
