10 Years On, Survivors Of Fatal Mount Kinabalu Expedition Return To Finish What They Started

A decade has gone by since several pupils and teachers were killed on the slopes of Mount Kinabalu in Malaysia due to an earthquake.

- Sarah Koh

News coverage of the tragedy has petered out, the mountain has reopened to climbers after a period where it was closed for repairs, and life goes on.

But memories of that fateful climb have never strayed far for some survivors. Two of them from Singapore — Mr Emyr Uzayr and Mr Prajesh Dhimant Patel — returned to the mountain in May to finish the journey that they embarked on in 2015.

They were only 12 back then, and were among 29 Primary 6 pupils and eight staff from Tanjong Katong Primary School on an expedition to scale the mountain, when a 6.0-magnitude earthquake in Sabah caused a landslide, and boulders came crashing down.

Seven pupils, two teachers and an adventure guide accompanying the group were among 18 people who were killed on June 5, 2015.

The duo told The Straits Times that even though there were fears and hesitancy, they sought closure and wanted to do it for their friends who could not.

"There was a feeling of emptiness that grew over the years, and it felt like the journey was incomplete," said Mr Uzayr, who is now a 22-year-old undergraduate studying finance at the National University of Singapore.

"I was really scared, but I was still determined to do it. And I had Prajesh with me. If I were to go alone, I don't think I would have managed to climb up there."

The two friends kept in touch after primary school, and the idea of returning to the mountain was tossed back and forth over the years. The plan materialised only in 2025, after Mr Uzayr asked if Mr Prajesh was interested in completing the hike.