June 5, 7.15am: For nearly a minute that seemed to last an hour, Mithunjay Langgim literally felt the earth move.
The Sabah Parks ranger was inside a hut just 500m from Mount Kinabalu’s Low’s Peak when he felt the structure rattle and the mountain shook. He ran out and saw huge dust clouds and heard loud rumblings as tonnes of boulders and rocks dislodged by a 5.9-magnitude quake barreled down the mountain slopes.
Fortunately, Mithunjay and the 105 mountain climbers, 29 guides and two porters had just passed Sayat Sayat checkpoint and were not in the way of the boulders which rolled down the path leading to Laban Rata at the lower level of the mountain.
The group was effectively stuck on the cold, wind-swept upper reaches of Mount Kinabalu.
It was a totally unexpected situation for Mithunjay, 28, and the climbers. But before the day was over, the decisions and extraordinary actions of Mithunjay and dozens of mountain guides had saved the lives of scores of earthquake survivors.
For Mithunjay, the day had began as usual at 2am when he started the 45-minute trek from the Sabah Parks quarters at Laban Rata to Sayat Sayat where he went through a checklist of all the climbers heading up to the mountain summit and those returning.
By 7.15am, almost all the climbers had reached Low’s Peak and had passed through the Sayat Sayat checkpoint for the second time on their way down.
When the quake hit, Mithunjay immediately alerted Sabah Parks director Dr Jamili Nais, Kinabalu Park warden Justinus Guntabib, and senior ranger Daikin Aman. His immediate concern was to keep the climbers, guides and porters safe as the rocks and boulders continued falling until noon.
“Fortunately, the summit plateau was spared so I asked the guides to bring the climbers there,” Mithunjay said.
And so the long wait began for the climbers, guides and porters, most of whom had a light meal seven or eight hours earlier before starting their trek.
They also had limited water supply as they were supposed to return to Laban Rata before 8am on their way down from the mountain. By noon, the throats of most climbers were parched.
“I asked the guides to find small pools on the summit plateau where rainwater had collected,” Mithujay said. “Luckily there was enough water to go around.”
The long exposure to the cold was affecting some climbers who had difficulty breathing.
“Most climbers were calm despite the tough situation we were faced with,” said Mithunjay.
At about noon, he was asked to assess if it was possible to bring the climbers through the blocked trail to Laban Rata.
“From the 7.5km part of the trail I could see rocks and boulders blocking the path to Laban Rata. The ropes were shredded by the falling rocks,” Mithunjay said.
“For myself, the guides and porters, clambering over the rocks was not a problem. But it was a different case for the climbers. For many, it was a challenge to get to the summit and back under normal conditions.”
By 3pm, word got to the group that a helicopter had been dispatched, raising hopes all around.
However, their hopes were dashed when no rescue aircraft appeared though a police helicopter tried to drop parcels of food and water, but they fell too far away from the group.
Officials later explained that their efforts to get a helicopter to the summit plateau had been thwarted by strong crosswinds and the unpredictable weather.
An hour later, Mithunjay decided they had no choice but to find their way down to Laban Rata.
“If we continued to wait for help until the following day, it would be too much for the climbers,” he said. “They were hungry and cold. Hypothermia was a big concern.”
After more than nine hours of waiting, the climbers, guides and porters were willing to try and make it through the 1km of damaged stretch.
Luck was on their side as Mithunjay remembered there were some spare ropes at the Sabah Parks store near Sayat Sayat. The ropes were needed to help them down the steep and slippery slope.
Mountain guide Christopher Peter Ebi went to get the ropes. After securing the rope to a tree, Mithunjay went down first, followed by Christopher.
“We looked for a path through the strewn boulders and rocks. We cleared any loose rocks, and the guides escorted the climbers down slowly,” Mithunjay recounted.
As they made their way down, the group saw the bodies of some of the 18 who were killed in the avalanches.
Mithunjay said the most difficult section was a very steep slope at the 6.5km point of the trail where the wooden steps were demolished by the falling boulders. He managed to find another way down which was steep and could not be navigated without any ropes.
Luck was once again on their side when Mithunjay remembered that mountaineering outfit Mountain Torq had some spare ropes nearby.
By this time, three guides – Alfred Minol, Albert Hamilin and Konal Jimilin – who had hiked up from the mountain base to help in rescue efforts, managed to get past the damaged trail and met Mithunjay at the 6.5km area.
“I asked them to get the Mountain Torq spare rope and I secured it. I went down first. When I reached the bottom, I asked Christopher to tie knots every 1.5m to make it easier for the climbers,” he said.
“Once the climbers, guides and porters reached Laban Rata by nightfall, it was sheer relief for me. I had to make sure they reached safety,” he said.
Looking back, Mithunjay said he never considered his rescue efforts as anything extraordinary.
“I was merely carrying out my duty as a Sabah Parks ranger. My priority is the climbers’ safety,” he said.
State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said Mithunjay was instrumental in getting 136 climbers and mountain guides to safety on that day.
“Mithunjay provided the leadership at the top of the mountain at a crucial period,” he said.
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