Mount Kinabalu earthquake
Mount Kinabalu appears through the clouds over Kota Kinabalu, capital of the east Malaysian state of Sabah on Borneo island Reuters

At least one climber is believed dead with 10 others injured following a 6.0-magnitude earthquake on Mount Kinabalu. Guides are aiding 137 stranded people down.

Malaysia's tourism minister for the state of Sabah, Masidi Manjun, said in a statement that there had been fatalities on the mountain following the earthquake, but that further details will not be released until 6 June.

Malaysia's Bernama agency has reported that 10 injured climbers have been brought down the mountain following the quake, two of whom had suffered broken or fractured arms as a result of falling rocks.

There have been unconfirmed reports from the Malaysian news website thestar.com that one climber was killed by the earthquake.

Thirty-two Malaysian mountain guides are now leading those still on the mountain to safety.

Paths leading down Kinabalu have been damaged by falling rocks, leaving them unsafe to navigate at night, Manjun said.

CNN reported that some groups of climbers had been taken to a resting place on the slope, where they have been supplied with food.

Sabah's parks director Jamili Nais was quoted as saying that helicopters were having difficulty reaching the peak of the mountain because of bad weather, but were hoping to drop supplies to those stranded there.

The quake, which struck at a depth of 10km and whose epicentre was located about 54km east of Kinabalu, also hit buildings in the town of Ranau. Damage to Ranau's hospital is reportedly hampering rescue efforts.