Malaysia quake death toll rises to 16KUNDASANG, Malaysia: Five Singapore primary school students and one teacher were among 16 people so far

confirmed killed by an earthquake that rocked Malaysia’s Mount Kinabalu, government authorities said on Sunday.

Malaysian officials said the death toll from the earthquake that struck on Friday morning had risen to 16, with three

more bodies recovered.

Three more people remain missing.

The Singaporean students were part of a school excursion to the popular climbing destination, which was jolted by a

6.0-magnitude quake just as the 4,095-meter-high (13,435-foot) peak was crowded with hikers.

The tremor triggered thunderous landslides that obliterated sections of trail on the mountain, located in the state of

Sabah on Borneo island.

Malaysian officials have so far released few details on the identities of the victims, but Singapore’s Education Ministry

confirmed the deaths of the 12- and 13-year-old students and one teacher.

“We are deeply saddened to inform that the bodies recovered by the Malaysian authorities have been identified by

their next-of-kin as five students and one teacher from Tanjong Katong Primary School,” it said in a statement.

It said a Singaporean adventure guide who accompanied the school group also died and that one other student and a

teacher remained missing.

Masidi Manjun, tourism minister for Sabah state, said on Twitter that search teams were focusing on a section of the

mountain where he said a “river of stones” had left a major trail impassable.

Mohammad Farhan Lee Abdullah, police chief of the town of Ranau near the mountain, said that body parts had been

found on sections of the mountain, suggesting the awesome power of the landslides.

It was not immediately clear whether the body parts were from corpses already found or were from the three still

missing.

“They are in parts probably because of rocks and boulders falling on them but we need to do forensics first,”

Mohammad Farhan said.

The local Kinabalu Today news portal quoted rescue personnel saying that full recovery of remains could be

impossible as some were pinned under massive boulders or possibly swept to their deaths from the peak.

Singapore’s Straits Times newspaper said some of the Singaporean students were taking a route to summit that

diagonally traverses a steeply sloping rock face and in which climbers are tethered to ropes attached to the surface.

The area is above the treeline and would have left those in that section exposed to the hail of stones and boulders.

 

Aftershocks leave rescuers on edge

Rescuers Saturday had escorted down to safety 137 hikers who were stuck on the mountain for up to 18 hours by the

rockfalls.

Crews and officials engaged in search and rescue efforts have been kept on edge by aftershocks, including a

Saturday afternoon temblor that Malaysian officials rated at 4.5-magnitude.

More tremors were felt in the area Sunday.

The quake, whose epicenter was near the picturesque mountain, was one of Malaysia’s strongest in decades.

There have been no reports of major damage or any casualties outside of those at Mount Kinabalu.

Climbing has been suspended for at least three weeks so authorities can make repairs and assess safety risks.

Around 20,000 people complete the relatively easy climb each year.

Mount Kinabalu is sacred to the local Kadazan Dusun tribe.

Malaysian social media users and some officials have suggested the quake was a sign tribal spirits were angry after

a group of 10 apparently Western men and women tourists last weekend snapped nude photos at the summit and

posted them on the Internet.

Schools to open despite quake fears

THE Department of Education (DepEd) has laid out

contingency plans for schools that may be affected by

the West Valley Fault (WVF) to ensure the safety of

students and teachers who are expected to be back in

school on June 1. Two of these schools–Pedro E. Diaz High School

(PEDHS) and Alabang Elementary School (AES)  in

Muntinlupa City (Mero Manila)–were inspected by

Education Secretary Armin Luistro on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), in a move to get the public prepared

for the “Big One,” on Friday announced that it will roll out next week its “Earthquake Preparedness

Website.”

According to the MMDA, the website will contain vital information on how to survive a strong quake in

case it hits Metro Manila or the National Capital Region.

The website, it said,  can be accessed through www.bepreparedmetromanila.com.

It will also familiarize the public on the do’s and don’t’s before, during and after an earthquake, the MMDA

added.

MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino said the website aims to promote pro-active participation and

disseminate wide-ranging information about earthquake readiness and risk reduction.

“The main premise of the website is to inculcate the importance of preparedness in these challenging

times.  I am urging everyone to visit the website and try to learn as much information as they can,”

Tolentino explained.

The website contains an atlas of the Valley Fault System, a video of the Greater Metro Manila Area Risk

Analysis conducted by Ausaid, and contact numbers of national and local emergency response units.

It also features a detailed description of the MMDA’s Oplan Metro Yakal, the agency’s disaster

contingency measure.

“We have started program linkage with concerned government agencies and those in the private sector to

be able to pool all resources and services that might be necessary to sustain the campaign,” Tolentino

said.

During the inspection of the two schools in Muntinlupa, Luistro said school opening for PEDHS and AES

will still be June 1, citing consultation with the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology and

engineers on the structural integrity of the buildings in these schools.

Some parts of Muntinlupa City are said to be sitting on the West Valley Fault.

DepEd has also set out contingency plans for Karahume Elementary School in Norzagaray, Bulacan,

which will also have its first day of classes on June 1.

School officials and personnel will orient the community leaders, around 50 percent of whom belong to

the Dumagat tribe, on  precautionary measures during an earthquake.

The Education department has sought the assistance of the local government of Karahume while waiting

for assessment by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources of the need for early

evacuation.

The move is in line with government efforts to sustain an educational campaign on the risks and dangers

from a strong earthquake should it hit Metro Manila and nearby towns.

with RITCHIE A. HORARIO

Metro-wide earthquake drill proposed by MMDAIN TERMS of earthquake preparedness, Metro Manila can be rated below 5 in a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the highest), according to Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chair Francis Tolentino.

The MMDA chair said the entire metropolis has been lacking rescue equipment, funding, manpower and resources for the “big one.”

In an interview with members of the media on Tuesday afternoon, Tolentino highlighted the importance of having a metrowide earthquake drill, which the agency initially set on July 30. The MMDA chair said he submitted a draft of the executive order on the drill to Malacañang last Monday.

Tolentino earlier said that the proposed metrowide drill, which would simulate the effects of a 7.2 magnitude quake would be from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. During the metrowide drill, power supply and telecommunication lines will be shut down and traffic lights will stop functioning, which may cause vehicles to get stranded on road. The scenario would also result in the suspension of work and classes.

“We need actual simulation to feel the real effects of the disaster,” explained the MMDA Chair.

In case of an emergency during the simulation, Tolentino said ambulances would be ready to respond.

He added that this would test the capabilities of nearby provinces like Rizal, Batangas, Laguna to respond to Metro Manila in case of a strong quake. Tolentino said that the metro is not yet that ready for the effects of a strong quake like the collapse of buildings and the expected number of fatalities and injured individuals.

“Unlike typhoons, we cannot evacuate people before an earthquake,” Tolentino said noting that there might not be enough preparation for this disaster.

The MMDA chair, however, said that the agency had in place the earthquake response plan dubbed Oplan Metro Yakal. It identified four possible evacuation areas in Metro Manila in case of a strong quake, which would include the Veteran’s golf course in Quezon City, Villamor golf course in Pasay City, the Wack Wack golf course in Mandaluyong City and the Intramuros golf course in Manila.

He also said that preparing for a strong earthquake would entail the collective efforts from the entire Metro Manila especially from the leaders of the 72 barangays (villages) in the cities of Pasig, Quezon, Marikina, Makati, Taguig and Muntinlupa which lay on the West Valley Fault.

The MMDA will meet on Thursday (May 28) with the leaders of the barangay (villages) along the fault line to discuss contingency measures on ground zero, according to Tolentino. The agency will also launch the mobile earthquake house which will start making rounds around the metro on June 2.

The earthquake simulator is a hydraulically operated facility resembling a bungalow house. It has a living room inside and a classroom-like setup. The house can simulate seismic movements similar to a magnitude 4 to 8 earthquake. Similar to the one used by Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) experts, MMDA’s earthquake house measures 3 x 3.6 meters and can accommodate up to 10 people.

“On June 2, we will also have a Metro Manila Rescue Skills Olympics of the 17 local government units (LGUs) for them to showcase their readiness in case a quake hits the metropolis. It will not be equipment-based but skills-based,” he added.

The agency said a strong movement, possibly equivalent to a magnitude 7.2, from the fault could happen and kill more than 30,000

people based on Phivolcs studies. With a report by Ariana Michaela Lopez, intern/SFM/ABC

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