In 2015, a 6.0-magnitude earthquake shook Mount Kinabalu, claiming the lives of several students and teachers from Tanjong Katong Primary School.
One of the survivors, Emyr Uzayr, was only 11 years old at the time.
A decade later, he returned to the mountain with fellow survivor Prajesh — not just to complete a climb, but to honour the memory of friends they lost and the weight of a moment that changed everything.
‘It wasn’t just about getting to the top’
Speaking to WeirdKaya, Emyr described reaching the summit as a quietly overwhelming moment, not dramatic, but deeply emotional.
The climb was physically tough but it was the emotional weight that made reaching the summit so powerful. It wasn’t just about getting to the top of a mountain. It was about carrying the memory of my friends with me, step by step, and finally standing where we never got to stand together.”
At the peak, Emyr cried “not from grief but as release.”
‘Felt like a calling’
For Emyr, returning to Mount Kinabalu wasn’t something meticulously planned — it was instinctual.
Though ten years had passed and life had moved forward, a part of him remained emotionally anchored to the mountain.
One day, the idea resurfaced unexpectedly. Prajesh, his fellow survivor, popped into his mind, prompting Emyr to send him a spontaneous message on Instagram: “Want to climb Mount Kinabalu once more?”
A journey not of overcoming, but of carrying
The incident from that day never fully goes away, Emyr admits. But it’s the people around him who helped him carry it over the years.
You always carry it with you. What helped was community… Wanting to climb again didn’t come from a place of bravery. It came from a need. To honour, to heal and to find peace with the mountain that changed everything.”
Perhaps one of the most poignant parts of the journey was reuniting with the very mountain guides who had once risked everything to save them 10 years ago.
“It was beyond words. These were the people who risked their lives to save mine… We hugged without needing to say much. Sometimes the strongest moments are the quietest ones.”
Emyr shared that Guide Cournelious, who helped rescue Prajesh in 2015, joined them again for this trip. This time not just as a guide, but like an uncle.
The bond between them went beyond words, stitched together by shared trauma and deep respect.
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