A powerful magnitude-6.0 earthquake has struck near Malaysia's Mount Kinabalu on Borneo, cracking roads and buildings in the region and injuring climbers on the popular peak.

The US Geological Survey said the epicentre of the quake, which struck at around 7:15am local time at a depth of 10 kilometres, was about 54 kilometres from the state capital of Kota Kinabalu.

The New Strait Times said at least four climbers had suffered injuries including broken bones and head wounds as the quake loosened stones and boulders on the mountain's wide granite summit.

Authorities raced to try to reach more than 130 people stranded atop the popular Mount Kinabalu climbing peak.

They ordered the climbers to stay put at the summit due to lingering danger from falling stones and because rockfalls had rendered at least one key descent route impassable.

Officials had earlier said more than 200 were feared trapped but Sabah state tourism minister Masidi Manjun said some appeared to have made it down.

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"Its very tricky now. We can't land a helicopter up there because visibility is so bad, but the people can't come down on their own because the main route is now impassable," Mr Manjun said.

Mr Manjun said on Twitter that rescuers would send food, drinks and warm clothing to those stranded on the mountain.

So far 52 climbers had made it down safely the public relations officer for Sabah Fire and Rescue department, Mohd Affendy Ramin, said.

Climbers from 16 countries had been on the peak, including 117 Malaysians, 38 Singaporeans, five Americans, four Dutch, three British, two French and two Australians, he said.

There were also tourists from Belgium, Thailand, the Philippines, Kazakhstan, India, New Zealand, South Korea, Denmark and China.

"There was a small landslide that cut off access through the usual route up the mountain," Mr Mohd Affendy said.

"Because of this, some people are stuck there and cannot come down. ...They are waiting to be rescued,"

Quake force so strong it snapped off rock outcrops

Mr Manjun said the force of the tremor was so strong that it snapped off one of the two "Donkey's Ear" rock outcroppings that form a distinctive part of the mountain's peak.

The mountain has been closed for climbing until further notice.

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One climber, identified as Charlene Dmp, posted pictures of hikers on top of the mountain.

"Currently we are waiting for the helicopter to save us," she said.

Colin Forsythe, a resident of Kota Kinabalu, said the quake felt "as if a truck had crashed into a brick wall".

He said the quake lasted around 15 seconds.

Local media reports said residents fled in terror from homes in the region as well as from Kota Kinabalu's International Airport.

There were no reports of major damage or injuries from the earthquake elsewhere in Sabah.

Major earthquakes are rare in Malaysia, which lies just outside the Ring of Fire, the belt of seismic activity running around the Pacific basin.

'Spirits angered by nude photos'

Mount Kinabalu is sacred to the local Kadazun Dusun tribal group, considered a resting place for departed spirits.

A group of 10 apparently Western men and women angered locals last weekend when they snapped nude photos at the summit and uploaded them on the internet.

Some Malaysian social media users posited that the quake was a sign the spirits had been angered by the act.

Authorities have not yet publicly identified the Caucasian-looking tourists or their suspected nationalities. Media reports have said they already had left the country.

Thousands of people complete the relatively easy climb to the summit each year.

AFP/Reuters