Brit girl, 17, rescued from Malaysia's highest mountain after falling ill

17 July 2023 , 16:42

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A British teenager has been rescued after falling ill on Malaysia's Mount Kinabalu (Image: PA)

A British girl has been rescued after falling seriously ill while climbing the peak of Malaysia's tallest mountain.

The 17-year-old was partway through the hike up Mount Kinabalu when she came down with suspected hypothermia and altitude sickness on Sunday.

The country's fire and rescue service department said the girl, who has not been named but was confirmed to be visiting the country from England, was given first aid before being taken to hospital in the nearby city of Ranau. Her condition has since been described as stable.

Services were called out at 1.45pm local time to the 4,095m mountain, where the teen was being treated at a sick bay at Panalaban - a base camp 3,272m up.

The camp is the mountain's final pit stop for hikers before the ascent to its summit, known as Low's Peak.

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The teen had to be carried back down by both stretcher and piggyback (Newsflash)

She was taken to a hospital in nearby Ranau, Malaysia (Newsflash)

According to the Fire and Rescue Services Department, the teenager was taken down part of the way on a stretcher and then taken to Timpohon Gate on piggyback.

From there, she was taken to hospital by the Emergency Medical Rescue Services.

Three mountain guides and five search-and-rescue rangers from Kinabalu Park assisted the three-man mountain search and rescue team in the operation.

After reaching the teenager, they gave her oxygen and wrapped her with a thermal blanket.

Altitude sickness is a common condition to hit hikers attempting ambitious climbs where oxygen levels are thinner, and can include a headache, feeling and being sick, dizziness, tiredness, loss of appetite, and shortness of breath.

Symptoms of altitude sickness usually develop between six and 24 hours after reaching altitudes more than 2,500 metres (8,202 feet) above sea level.

As well as being the highest peak in Malaysia and Borneo, Mount Kinabalu is the world's third-highest on an island and is a popular tourist destination in the country.

Susie Beever