Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan has blamed tourists who had reportedly stripped on Mount Kinabalu for the cause of a 5.9 magnitude earthquake which struck Ranau last night.

“We consider this act as uncivilised. We will blacklist them and ensure that they will not come back to Sabah.

"We believe this disaster has been caused by this disrespectful act of these individuals," he was quoted saying in a Borneo Post report today.

Pairin, who is the huguan siou (paramount leader) of the Kadazandusun community, said even though his people are mostly Christians or Muslims, they still hold on to the tradition that Mount Kinabalu is sacred ground.

He added that a ritual will be conducted to appease the angry spirits.

The unprecedented earthquake yesterday caused several climbers to be stranded on Mount Kinabalu and rescue efforts are under way to extract them.

A climber who was descending from the popular mountain trail was also killed when the earthquake hit.

Earlier this week, photographs of a group of European tourists who stripped on Mount Kinabalu on May 30 sparked outrage as the mountain, the region's highest peak, is considered sacred.