Authorities in Malaysia have arrested a foreign national for allegedly posing naked for pictures on the country’s highest peak, Mount Kinabalu, an act some Malaysians have said angered the spirits of the mountain and caused an earthquake.

Police in the eastern state of Sabah arrested a foreign woman involved in the incident, state news agency Bernama reported. Her nationality was not disclosed.

Acting police chief Keong Ho Eng said the woman was held at the airport in the town of Tawau on Tuesday afternoon, as she was about to leave for Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital.

A group of tourists stripped to take pictures at the peak of Mount Kinabalu on 30 May, infuriating many who regarded the act as disrespectful. The images were widely circulated on websites and social media.

It was not clear whether the tourists would be charged with any offence. Malaysian police and immigration officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

News reports said those involved in the incident had been barred from leaving Sabah, to allow police to investigate. Some reports said two Canadians in the group were stopped from leaving the country.



On Tuesday, the Canadian high commission in Kuala Lumpur said it was aware of the media reports. A spokesman said it was in touch with the Sabah authorities and consular assistance was being provided.

At least 16 climbers died after a 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck the area on Friday, with another two missing. Among the dead were six Malaysians, seven Singaporeans, and one each from China, Japan and the Philippines.

As the photographs of thetourists emerged, some Malaysians on social media –and government officials – began linking the stripping on Mount Kinabalu to the earthquake.

“It is a sacred mountain and you cannot take it lightly,” Joseph Pairin Kitingan, the deputy chief minister of Sabah, was quoted as saying.