On the morning of 5th June, tremors shook Kota Kinabalu and other parts of Sabah’s west coast after a magnitude 5.9 earthquake hit near Ranau district. It left the residents of Ranau, Tambun, Tuaran, Pedalaman, Kota Kinabalu, and Kota Belud shaken, and 18 people dead – 7 of whom were children.
At that time, immediate damages caused by the earthquake could not be immediately ascertained.
Just today, The Star Online reported that Sabah suffered nearly RM100mil in damage caused by earthquake and more than 100 aftershocks which affected 61 buildings such as schools, hospital and mosque, 22 roads, and 22 slopes.
Sabah Special Tasks Minister Datuk Teo Chee Kang told the state assembly that losses so far amounted to RM94.8mil. He said the aftermath of the earthquake had affected about 200 families in Ranau and Kota Belud who suffered after mudslides destroyed their homes, farms, and plantations as well as disrupted water supply.
Work to repair the affected buildings are currently underway, but it would be a time-consuming process, said Teo, adding that the magnitude of the earthquake was officially recorded as 6.0 on the Richter scale after being initially put at 5.9.
Sabah Parks had also set up an earthquake relief fund to help mountain guides and its staff. Teo gave assurance that all donations received and distributed would be handled carefully to ensure that funds won’t be misused.
Meanwhile, Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said many people and organisations had come forward to donate to the Mountain Guides Association.
He added that the UMNO Welfare Bureau was also contributing RM800 to full-time mountain guides and RM400 for part-time guides every month till September when hopefully the mountain would be reopened to the public.
Source: The Star Online.
