KUNDASANG, June 7 – In a positive development, one of the 17 climbers declared missing on Mount Kinabalu yesterday has been found alive and well in Kota Kinabalu.

Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said 39-year-old Malaysian Mohd Khairuladzuan Abdul Khalid, a travel agent from Kuala Lumpur, had crossed Timpohon Gate with the first batch of climbers after the earthquake on Friday.

“With the new discovery, the number of missing people has been (reduced) by one,” he said or the previously announced death toll of 17.

Masidi also announced that the number of dead so far is 16: seven Singaporeans, six Malaysians, and a Filipino, Chinese and Japanese national each.

“We have found more bodies today and also two body parts and the condition make it impossible to determine its identity from these parts.

“The unaccounted are Singaporean teacher and one student, we have listed them as missing,” Masidi said, adding that they were still scouring the area for the missing two.

The named victims are Singaporeans Peony Wee Ying Ping, 12, Rachel Ho Yann Shiuan, 12; Sonia Jhala, 12; Emilie Giovanna Ramu, 12; Ameer Ryaan Mohd Adeed, 12; Navdeep Singh Jaryal a/l Rajkumar, 13; Mohammad Ghazi Mohamed, 35; Loo Jian Liang Terrence, 29; and Muhammad Daanish Amran, 22.

The six Malaysians are Robbi Sapinggi, 30, Lim Choon Seong, 45; Muhammad Loqman Abd Karim, 22; and mountain staff Valerian Joannes, Ricky Masirin and Joseph Solugin. 

The foreigners were identified as Luqi, 35, from China; Karyl Mitzi Higuit Matahom, 12, from Philippines; and Ozaki Masahiro, 29, from Japan.

The climbers were struck by the aftermath of a 5.9 magnitude earthquake, the worst in Malaysia, on Friday morning at 7.15am.

Masidi said that search and rescue operations will continue until all bodies are accounted for, but the number of personnel involved will be scaled down accordingly over time.

“But we will never stop looking for them. We will continue to look for them, a year later, if need be,” he said.

Masidi, who will hand over spokesman duties to the Ranau district police chief and Sabah Parks director Dr Jamili Nais, also said they will compile the list of mountain guides who were part of the search and rescue operations after the earthquake for them to be properly recognised for their efforts.

“We will present them with a simple token of appreciation,” he said.