Filipino-Singaporean girl killed in magnitude 6.0 Sabah quake

In this Friday, June 5, 2015 photo, climbers trek down the Timpohan Trail with the help of local mountain guides on Mount Kinabalu in eastern Sabah state on Borneo, Malaysia, after the 4,095-meter (13,435-foot) -high mountain was struck by a strong earthquake. Amanda Peter who shot this photo said “The local mountain guides were making sure the path ahead was safe before asking us to walk through. It was very risky and we were all starving, dehydrated and tired. But at least we tried to save ourselves.” AP

A 12-YEAR-OLD Filipino-Singaporean girl was confirmed as one of the fatalities in the magnitude 6.0 quake that struck Sabah last June 5.

The girl was identified by the Philippine embassy in Singapore as Karyl Mitzi Higuit Matahom. She was in a school trip when the earthquake hit.

Matahom was born to a Filipino mother and a Singaporean father, according to a statement from the Philippine embassy in Malaysia.

Meanwhile, four Filipino hikers who were stranded in Mount Kinabalu during the quake were injured. They were identified as Mary Naomi Gail Angeles Malones, Kenneth Cueto Almonte, Anna Rose Gumantazon Curiano and Michael William Echevarria.

The hikers were brought to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kota Kinabalu for treatment.

Philippine embassy officials in Malaysia are now coordinating with Singaporean authorities in flying Matahom’s remains to Singapore and assisting the Filipino hikers.

Sabah authorities counted 19 casualties in the quake as of Saturday. The victims were from China, Singapore, Japan and Malaysia.

RELATED STORY

One confirmed dead in Mt. Kinabalu after Sabah quake

Quake strands about 160 climbers on Malaysian peak