Sabah is known as "The Land Below the Wind", by this, it is supposed to mean it is free from the most natural disasters that is so prevailing in this region :- typhoons, earthquakes, tsunami. We hardly have these phenomena happening. True, we get the tails of typhoons, the secondary wave of tsunami and the mild earthquake as the mountain is young fold mountains.
Malaysia does experience earthquakes but is outside the Ring of Fire, a belt of seismic activity running around the basin of the Pacific Ocean that includes neighbours Indonesia and the Philippines.
I have always been proud of my homeland, Sabah, her natural beauty is simply out of this world, a kind of hidden haven, she is calm and free from most disasters. That is how I have seen her all my life. Sure, there were earthquakes and mini tsunami felt at the east coast of Sabah but in the city area, it has been pretty safe all these while or all my life that I have been here.
This morning at exactly 7:15 a.m. the entire west coast of Sabah from Kudat, Kota Marudu, Kota Belud, Tuaran, Kota Kinabalu, Penampang, Papar, Beaufort, Sipitang, Keningau all felt a strong vibration for 10 seconds. A short ten seconds but enough to make us frighten. Some ran out of the buildings and refused to return. But most of us stayed inside our own homes and offices, no idea what to do except to confirm and exchange our experiences via Whatsapp and Facebook.
The morning has just begun, people were going to work, the children are in school holidays. many slept in and woken up by the shake. Thinking back, its hard to make sense of all these. Little did we know, at the epic center of this quake in Ranau, the earthquake was 30 seconds and the entire mountain was felt vibrating, like rocking chair movement for the rest of the day, felt by the climbers who were stranded there at various part of the mountain paths. The majority were stranded at the Mountain top for 9 hours before being told helicopter rescue was unable to come near to them and they had to stay the night at the top of the mountain.
The earthquake lasted 30 seconds at the Mountain area, felt 10 seconds in the urban areas further away and yet it shook the people of Sabah like never before. It was like living out a nightmare for the days to come except that it is a nightmare that we could not wake ourselves up from. Each time we close our eyes to rest, the tremor and shakes are still in our vivid memory, we could still feel that shake.
Below are some facebook postings from that day from various people about the quake :-
First time I felt Earthquake ! Thank God most buildings just shook for 10 seconds and stopped, some cracks on walls in our house. Please pray for the rescue team at work on the Mountain Kinabalu itself, climbers and guides are stuck as the route to descend covered by rocks and stones.
A Moderate earthquake has occurred at 07:15am 05/06/15,6.1N 116.6E with Magnitude 5.9 and Depth 54km, Borneo. 16km northwest of Ranau, Sabah.Tremors felt in Ranau, Tambunan, Pedalaman, Tuaran, K.Kinabalu, K.Belud, Sabah. MMD
Please pray for the Mountain guides and many others who serve in Rescue Mission.
30 mountain guides all geared up to execute a rescue mission of stranded climbers on Mt Kinabalu
Thanks to the rescuer team. Most of them are locals, mainly Dusun of Ranau. They may be goin to look for stranded climbers on the way up to the mountain. Pray for their safety.
The US Geological Survey said the quake struck at a depth of 10 kilometres, with its epicentre located 19 kilometres from the town of Ranau and 54 kilometres from Kota Kinabalu in the district of Sabah.
Tremors shook Kota Kinabalu and other parts of Sabah’s west coast Friday morning after a magnitude 5.9 earthquake hit near Ranau district.
Published: Friday June 5, 2015 MYT 10:49:00 AM
Updated: Friday June 5, 2015 MYT 2:18:07 PM
Sabah quake: Helicopters to rescue Mt Kinabalu climbers
PETALING JAYA: Helicopters are being deployed to rescue climbers on Mount Kinabalu.
Climber Charlene Dmp wrote on Facebook that she and 11 other climbers are now waiting for the helicopter to rescue them.
"We cannot go down for now because banyak batu-batu jatuh (many rocks are falling). It is not safe to trek down as there are still tremors.
"Thank you for all your concern and prayers," she wrote.
Tremors shook Kota Kinabalu and other parts of Sabah’s west coast Friday morning after a magnitude 5.9 earthquake hit near Ranau district.
Initial reports from the Malaysian Meteorological Services Department said the quake struck 16km northwest of Ranau at 7.17am.
People at the foothill of Mount Kinabalu have reported rockfalls and landslips and officials are waiting for the situation to settle before determining the next course of action.
The US Geological Survey put the Richter scale at 6 but no tsunami warning was issued.
The strong quake reportedly struck at a depth of 10km, with its epicentre located 19km from the town of Ranau, and 54km from Kota Kinabalu.
Apart from the state capital, tremors were felt in the northern Kudat and Kota Marudu districts, and as far away Beaufort in the south.
