On 5th June 2015, Mount Kinabalu was shaken by a 6.0-magnitude earthquake. Among the many stories of heroism that emerged that day, two names have remained etched into the memory of Sabah: Robbie Sapinggi and Joseph Solungin.
Both were in-house mountain guides of Amazing Borneo – not only experts of the trail, but protectors of those who dared to walk it. Their actions that day, and the lives they touched, continue to resonate even a decade on.
Robbie: The Heart of the Trail
To many who knew him, Robbie Sapinggi was not just a guide. He was a friend, a brother, a beacon of joy on the mountain.
Emily Lim, Sales Director at Amazing Borneo, had climbed with Robbie several times. “It wasn't just losing a colleague, it was losing a friend,” she said. “He was playful… he would come behind me and tease me so I wouldn’t focus on the toughness of the trail. Yet he was always very professional. They [the guides] were always looking out for our care and safety.”
During the earthquake, Robbie was with a climber, Thai national Khunakorn Kocharint. According to Emily, “As they were coming down together, the rocks were falling. Robbie kept telling him, ‘Go!’ Robbie got hit, fell, and was injured, but he insisted that the climber continue down without him.”
Kocharint, injured but alive, would later draw a map to help rescuers locate Robbie’s last known position. “Even to the end,” Emily said, “they put their climbers' lives first over theirs.”
His fellow guides remember him as a brother and mentor. “He was one of the best mountain guides ever,” said Wilsone Thaddeus, Deputy President of the Mountain Guide Association. “He was my friend and mentor. I learned a lot from him.”
Beyond the trail, Robbie was a loving husband and new father. His wife, Reena Joshi, had returned to the UK after their wedding in September 2014 to give birth to their son. She had only just returned to Sabah, hoping to reunite their young family, when tragedy struck. “He was a great husband, and he's a father now,” she said. “He was very, very caring… always smiling. That was the best thing about him.”
Joseph: A Quiet Hero
Joseph Solungin, 33, was new to Amazing Borneo – just two months into the job – but those who met him remember a gentle, committed soul.
Fellow guide Nur Asram Ramli shared that Joseph had been shielding his climbers from falling rocks when he was killed. “It was a moment where people saw a mountain guide give his life for his climbers. He gave his life to the mountain.”
An official statement from Amazing Borneo posted at the time read: “A man of courage and uncompromising thoughtfulness. His goodwill and high spirits will forever be remembered by all the lives he has touched.”
Joseph had been due to celebrate his wedding anniversary just a week later. He left behind his wife, Rozitah Daimin, and two young children aged four and two.
“Joseph was friendly, kind, helpful,” said Dwinah Sinti, a Service Manager of Sutera Sanctuary Lodges and relative of the two men. “Those were my close friends and family. It's hard for me to explain... I can't fully express how I felt at the time. Only God knows.”
His older brother Marius Solungin said, “He told us a lot of jokes. He was fun to be with. That’s him.” Marius now tells Joseph’s children of how responsible, jovial, and happy-go-lucky their father was.
Echoes That Endure
Julie, from Amazing Borneo’s Kinabalu Park team, said it best: “After everything happened, many of [Joseph and Robbie's] previous guests reached out trying to connect with their families.”
The tributes that continue to pour in ten years on – from guests, friends, and family – are testament to the lives these two men lived. Both were remembered as joyful, selfless, and deeply committed. Both made the ultimate sacrifice.
Today, Robbie and Joseph are no longer with us, but the trails they walked, the people they protected, and the spirit they left behind remain very much alive.
As we mark the 10th anniversary of the Kinabalu Earthquake, we remember them not just for how they died, but for how they lived. With laughter, kindness, and courage.
They were more than guides. They were guardians of the mountain.
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Over the past decade, we’ve heard countless stories from guests, colleagues, and friends whose lives were touched by Robbie and Joseph. Their kindness, humour, and courage live on in the hearts of many.
If you have a memory, photo, or story you’d like to share in their honour, we warmly invite you to submit it to us via email at info@amazingborneo.com or via Instagram @amazingborneo.
(Cover Photo: Wordpress)
