RANAU: Three climbers who were among 137 victims left stranded at Mt Kinabalu following the earthquake yesterday were full of praise for the mountain guides who escorted them safely down.
“They had done a great and fantastic job. The mountain guides saved the day and had risked their lives to make sure all of the climbers safely arrive at Timpohon Gate,” said Abbie, 24.
The climber from Kuala Lumpur, who reached ground around 3 am today, said the guides also made a new path as the main trail had been damaged and rendered inaccessible by the earthquake.
“They guided us from peak to Laban Rata and Laban Rata to the exit, which is amazing,” he added.
Abbie’s friend, Brett Isenor, 41, a Canadian, described the mountain guides as being very responsible.
“They took down all the climbers with full responsibility. They made a new trail for us to go down,” said Isenor.
The duo were in a group of nine who had managed to reach the top of Mt Kinabalu and represented their company to raise funds for a local charity.
Meanwhile, student Elnabeth Elvia Yamoh, 23, from Ranau, who was stranded with 18 others for nine hours, said their guides were very reassuring and kept them calm and steady.
“They knew how anxious we were, at the top without food and water. They took our bottles and filled them up with water from a natural source.
“They also took great pains to make the descent safe for us. They would tie a rope before each step, hence why we took a long time to reach here. The old path couldn’t be used anymore,” she said.
Elnabeth said the experience was quite traumatic. – BERNAMA