RANAU - Bad weather conditions on Monday have forced rescue workers to halt their search for two Singaporeans who have been missing on Mount Kinabalu since an earthquake struck Sabah last Friday.

A police source said the operation had to be put on hold as a heavy fog shrouding the 4,095m high peak would put the rescuers at risk, the New Straits Times reported.

The search would resume once the weather clears, the source added.

The two Singaporeans - teacher Mohammad Ghazi Mohamed, 35, and pupil Navdeep Singh Jaryal Raj Kumar, 13 - both from Tanjong Katong Primary School (TKPS) were among a group of 37 sent by TKPS to Kota Kinabalu.

Eight Singaporeans - a guide as well as a TKPS teachers and six pupils - were confirmed dead in the ill-fated excursion on Mount Kinabalu after the 6.0-magnitude quake sent boulders rolling down the mountain slopes.