Sabah quake: 'Malim Gunung' of Kinabalu caught the attention of the world

Stories of the mountain guides' efforts in rescuing the affected climbers had been widely spread and highlighted by the local as well as foreign media.

Many of the stranded climbers said that the mountain guides had been doing a good job in rescuing them after an earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale jolted Ranau at 7.15am Friday affecting Mount Kinabalu as well.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported that the local guides of Mount Kinabalu were the real heroes.

Australian climber Vee Jin Dumlao told ABC she was so grateful to mountain guide named Jomius who helped the trekkers to safety.

"The mountain guides were the heroes. They risked life and limb and made some difficult decisions that ultimately saved our lives," she said.

Meanwhile, Cable News Network (CNN) reported that the mountain guides were heroes in rescuing those stranded on the peak of Mount Kinabalu.

Local climber Nurul Hani Ideris, 29, told CNN: "The mountain guides seemed to know every single part of the place and managed to carve a route through the devastated landscape, cutting branches and tying ropes to create a new path.

Lynn Siang, a tour agency spokeswoman, called the mountain guides heroes for doing the main rescue work on the path that was blocked by fallen rocks that they had to tie a rope.

"When climbers crossed the ropes, they had to step on the shoulders of the guides - the guides used their body as a cushion," she told CNN.