British woman arrested for 'stripping naked on mountain in Malaysia'

A British woman has been arrested in Malaysia for allegedly stripping naked on top of the country's highest peak - an act locals say angered the spirits and caused an earthquake.

Pictures of nearly a dozen tourists posing naked on Mount Kinabalu were widely circulated on social media last month.

It came just a week before at least 16 climbers were killed when a 6-magnitude earthquake struck the area last Friday.

Angry Malaysians - including a government official - linked the naked photographs to the deadly quake.

The British woman was detained at Sabah airport as she was about to leave for the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, police said.

She was among four people, including a Dutch national and two Canadian brothers, to be held over the incident.

Mount Kinabalu is the country's highest peak. Credit: Reuters

She is among four people, including a Dutch national and two Canadian brothers, to be held over the incident.

Mount Kinabalu, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is considered sacred by locals and the pictures infuriated many who regarded the act as disrespectful.

Joseph Pairin Kitingan, deputy chief minister of the state of Sabah, is quoted as saying: "It is a sacred mountain and you cannot take it lightly."

A Foreign Office spokesperson confirmed to ITV News that a British national had been detained in Malaysia.