Day of National Remembrance: Singapore flags at half-mast for Sabah quake victims

State flags on Government buildings were flown at half-mast on Monday (Jun 8) as Singapore marked a Day of National Remembrance for the Sabah earthquake victims.

Singapore declared Monday as a Day of National Remembrance after six students from Tanjong Katong Primary School on an excursion and two adults accompanying them were killed in an earthquake on Malaysia's Mount Kinabalu.

"The Prime Minister is deeply saddened by the deaths of eight Singaporeans in the earthquake at Mount Kinabalu," the office of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in a statement on Sunday.

"On behalf of all Singaporeans, the Prime Minister expresses his deepest condolences and sympathies to their families and loved ones.

"Monday Jun 8, 2015, will be a Day of National Remembrance. State flags on all Government buildings will be flown at half-mast," it added.

Singapore confirmed that the bodies of six students from the Tanjong Katong Primary School had been identified. It said a teacher and a Singaporean adventure guide also perished, while another student and a teacher remain missing.

A total of 29 students and eight teachers from the school were part of an excursion to the popular climbing destination, which was jolted by a 5.9-magnitude quake last Friday just as the 4,095-metre-high mountain was crowded with hikers.

The tremor triggered thunderous landslides that obliterated sections of trail on the peak in the Malaysian state of Sabah on Borneo island.

At the school on Sunday evening, some students and their families left messages of support for the families of those who had perished in the tragedy.


The Government statement said a minute's silence will be observed on Monday at all Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) venues at the start of the competition, which Singapore is hosting.

"We hope that this collective expression of sympathy and support from all Singaporeans will give solace and comfort to the families and loved ones of the victims," it said.