Malaysia Earthquake Death Toll Reaches 19

The number of victims of a powerful earthquake that rocked Malaysia’s highest peak, Mount Kinabalu, in the country’s east has risen to 19, The Star newspaper reported Saturday, citing local search and rescue services.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The rescue officials said they had recovered 17 bodies on the slopes of Kinabalu in the Malaysian Sabah state on the island of Borneo, according to the Star.

Overall, almost 190 climbers had been trapped on the 13,435-feet mountain, the newspaper reported.

Mount Kinabalu, which is part of the Kinabalu Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, would be closed for at least three weeks to repair facilities there and the access for the climbers would be temporarily restricted, the daily reported, citing the Sabah Tourism minister.