Cover image via SAYS.com
The 5.9-magnitude Sabah earthquake sent rocks and boulders raining down trekking routes on Mount Kinabalu, claiming a total of 16 lives with 2 more missing but presumed dead
Image via Channel NewsAsia
With intimate insights from the victims' friends and loved ones, here is a brief look into the victims' lives before tragedy struck:
Robbi Sapinggi, a 30-year-old mountain trainer, was separated from his wife Reena for a few months after their wedding when she had to return to England unexpectedly. The couple also has a six-month-old son.
Image via Amazing Borneo's Facebook
Image via Sheau Fong Wong
Image via Amazing Borneo's Facebook
Valerian Joannes' last words to his family were "I am leaving" as he left a family gathering more than a month ago. The 27-year-old was also engaged to be married in November this year.
Mountain guide Joseph Solugin, 33, was last seen shielding two of his guests from the landslide of rocks and boulders. He is survived by his wife, a 4-year-old son, and a 2-year-old daughter. Joseph had earlier promised him wife that he will be home to celebrate their wedding anniversary on 12 June.
Image via Amazing Borneo's Facebook
Image via Amazing Borneo's Facebook
Muhammad Daanish bin Amran, who was the Singaporean guide for a group of students from Tanjung Katong Primary School (TKPS), was believed to have sacrificed himself to save the students from harm. Friends and family describe him as a "kind man" who will "go out of his way to help others".
Image via Shin Min / The Straits Times
Loo Jian Liang Terrence, a 29-year-old teacher who accompanied the group of students, is remembered as a friendly guy who helped "break the ice" among a group of peers at a teaching course
Image via Channel 8 News Singapore
Peony Wee Ying Ping's father had initially objected to his daughter joining the six-day trip, but relented after her mother gave her permission. Family members remember the 12-year-old as a "happy-go-lucky" and "adventurous" person who also dotes on her younger sibling.
Image via Alphonsus Chern / The Straits Times
Image via Alson Wee / The Straits Times
Filipino-Singaporean Karyl Mitzi Higuit Matahom, whose family moved to Singapore over 10 years ago, had plans to travel the world with her parents
Image via Channel 8 News Singapore
Ameer Ryyan bin Mohd Aded is not just a competitive and promising football player, he is also remembered as a thoughtful boy with a big heart – he once gave a pair of football boots to a friend simply because his friend jokingly asked for them
Image via Channel 8 News Singapore
At the time of writing, TKPS teacher Mohammad Ghazi Mohamed, 35, and student Navdeep Singh Jayral s/o Raj Kumar, 12, have yet to be found but are presumed dead by search and rescue (SAR) teams.
It is reported that Navdeep's father had died two years ago and his sister does not know how their mother will cope if something happens to him.
Image via Channel 8 News Singapore
PE teacher Mohammad Ghazi Mohamed, who once wrote in "Leave no man behind" in the TKPS school album, is described as a caring and compassionate teacher who always encourages his students to do their best
Image via Channel 8 News Singapore
