British girl, 17, is rescued from Malaysia’s highest mountain and carried down to safety after falling ill with hypothermia and altitude sickness
- The 17-year-old girl was brought down from the 13,435ft high Mount Kinabalu
- Her name was withheld, but local media reported that she is ‘from England’
A British teen has been rescued from Malaysia’s highest mountain after falling ill with suspected hypothermia and altitude sickness.
The 17-year-old girl was brought down from the 13,435ft (4,095m) high Mount Kinabalu to safety on Sunday, according to reports.
After being given first aid, she was taken to Ranau Hospital, where her condition was last described as stable.
Her name was withheld at the time of writing, but local media reported that she is ‘from England’.
The Fire and Rescue Services Department in Ranau reported that the mountain search and rescue team had been called at 1.45pm local time to rescue the girl.
The girl was pictured wrapped head-to-toe in the golden foil blanked and strapped to a wooden stretcher as she was brought down from the mountain
At another point, she was pictured being carried by a rescuer as her hand clamed around his chest
At the time of her being taken back down the mountain, the British girl was being treated at the sick bay at Panalaban base camp, but needed more significant medical attention.
Panalaban, located at 3,272 metres (10,735 feet) above sea level, is the final pit stop before the ascent to Low’s Peak – the mountain’s summit.
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.
The girl was pictured wrapped head-to-toe in the golden foil blanket and strapped to a wooden stretcher.
At another point, she was pictured being carried by a rescuer as her hands clamed around his chest.
A 17-year-old girl from England sits in an ambulance after she was brought down by recue teams from Mount Kinabalu
The symptoms of altitude sickness 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.
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