Update June 6, 2:30 a.m. EDT
A Malaysian official said the bodies of nine more climbers have been recovered from the country's highest peak a day after it was struck by a strong earthquake, bringing the total dead to 11, according to the Washinton Post.
An earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale has struck Malaysia near Mount Kinabalu in Sabah, Borneo, at approximately 7:15 a.m. Friday, according to the European-Mediteranean Seismological Centre, reported the Malaysian.
The quake damaged roads in the region and caused several landslides, prompting search and rescue operations for climbers who may have been trapped and possibly injured on Southeast Asia's highest mountain.
The epicenter of the earthquake was approximately 33 miles (54 kilometers) from the state capital of Mount Kinabalu, according to the U.S Geological Survey, reported Reuters.
Around 100 climbers were at the Mount Kinabalu summit at the time of the earthquake, causing huge rocks and boulders to tumble down the 13,435-foot (4,095 metres) mountain as they made their descent. Climbing activities at Mount Kinabalu have been suspended for safety reasons, according to the Star.
Social media users immediately uploaded pictures showing the extent of the damage caused by the tremors.
Photos from those living near popular tourist site, Mount Kinabalu, close to where the quake struck #Sabah #quake pic.twitter.com/Ts5AAngg4a
— Sumisha Naidu (@sumishanaidu) June 5, 2015
PHOTOS: Strong quake rocks Borneo: https://t.co/vzDfSUuX9a #borneo #borneoquake #malaysia pic.twitter.com/QtVb8mIBEY- RadioLIVE (@RadioLIVENZ) June 5, 2015
