CLIMBS to the summit of Mount Kinabalu will resume tomorrow, Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Masidi Manjun said today.

The decision to re-open the trail was taken after the completion of a damage assessment following a 5.2-magnitude earthquake that hit Ranau at 9.06pm yesterday.

“A team of 47 scouts checked the trail from Timpohon Gate until Lows Peak (8.72km) and found there were no serious damages on the mountain. Minor damages have been repaired,” the minister said in a statement.

“The trails to the summit are safe and the lodge buildings at Panar Laban are unharmed.” 

Masidi said the scouts comprised Sabah Parks personnel, mountain guides, Mountain Search and Rescue personnel, staff from Sutera Sanctuary Lodge and Mountain Torq. 

“With their cooperation, we are pleased to informed the summit trail is safe for use for all climbers beginning tomorrow. 

“Nine personnel from Sabah Parks, Mountain Search and Rescue personnel and staff from the lodge will spend the night at Panar Laban to ensure the mountains are safe,” he said.

The tremor forced 239 people staying at Laban Rata to head down to Sabah Parks headquarters for safety. 

About 130 of them were planning to scale the mountain early this morning.

There had been no reported deaths or serious injuries when rescuers completed their rescue mission around 4.30am this morning.

On another development, the standard operating procedure (SoP) for emergency response for Ranau district has been revised from 5.5 Richter scale to 5.0 Richter scale.

This was announced by Federal Science and Technology Minister Wilfred Madius Tangau, after being advised of the weak faulty lines in the district and for the safety of Mount Kinabalu climbers.

He said the SoP for other districts remained at 5.5 Richter scale. 

“The earthquake only hit 5.2-magnitude, but because the ground shook terribly near the epicentre, we had now revised it to 5.0-magnitude.

“The Malaysian Meteorological Department (Met Malaysia) also took time in verifying the earthquake and this involved key personnel that required a review,” he said after being briefed by the department’s director Azemi Daud. 

Tangau advised Malaysians to download the ministry’s MyCuaca App, to get the latest updates and weather warnings issued by Met Malaysia.

MyCuaca App but gives earthquakes and tsunami warnings and alerts. – March 9, 2018.