Govt undecided on Via Ferrata
Published on: Saturday, September 05, 2015
Kota Kinabalu: Activities on Mount Kinabalu's Via Ferrata will remain for now. State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said Friday the Government is still mulling whether to remove the mountain climbing activity. "Let us not make quick decision before looking at the pros and cons," he said during the launching of the Matta Fair in Kuala Lumpur. ADVERTISEMENT Concerns over the safety of the mountain had been raised after 18 people, including pupils from Singapore's Tanjong Katong Primary School who were on a field trip in the area, were killed when a 5.9-magnitude earthquake hit the western side of the mountain on June 5. Some had suggested the age limit for those wanting to scale the mountain or carry out activities at Via Ferrata is capped. Children aged as young as 12 years old who were accompanied by their teachers and mountain guides were carrying out some mountaineering training at the location when the earthquake cracked open portions of the rock face, sending an avalanche of boulders and rocks down towards their direction. "Although it was coincidence the children were there when it happened, let us not forget they were undergoing some form of training.ADVERTISEMENT Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
"It's not a new programme, it's probably six years old, but it so happened the rocks and boulders were already there when it happened," he pointed out. Masidi had also noted it's seldom that instances of death had happened from climbing Mount Kinabalu in the past.