Mountain guides lead 155 climbers to safety during Mount Kinabalu flash floods
A total of 155 climbers on Mount Kinabalu were safely guided down by mountain guides early yesterday morning after sudden flash floods occurred at the Sayat-Sayat checkpoint due to heavy rainfall.
Sabah Parks confirmed that the flash floods started at around 6.15am, when torrential rain hit the summit area, causing a rapid surge of flowing water to sweep across the KM7 trail section, one of the final stretches before the peak.
“The SAR team, MOSAR, and mountain guides monitored the situation and determined the area was safe to pass using the safety ropes installed at the site. All 155 climbers successfully crossed the fast-flowing water by around 7.48 am,” Sabah Parks said in a statement issued last night.
The statement said that weather monitoring precautions are carried out daily by Sabah Parks’ SAR as early as 2 am to 3 am to ensure the environment is safe for climbers.
“If the weather remains unsafe, park rangers or SAR personnel will brief climbers and announce the closure of summit climbs,” said Sabah Parks, adding that such water surges were normal during heavy rain.
“On the day of the incident, Sabah Parks SAR had conducted weather monitoring and found the conditions to be safe. The summit trail was opened at 3.26am. However, by around 6.15am, the weather changed suddenly, with heavy rain and strong winds causing the formation of a flash flood at the Sayat-Sayat checkpoint,” said the statement.
The descending climbers had to cross the flash flood area with assistance from the mountain guides.
“Sabah Parks has already established safety SOPs for climbers that take into account weather conditions on Mount Kinabalu. Climbs to the summit will be closed if weather conditions are deemed unsafe,” said the statement.