JEDDAH: Fifty-five Malaysians are still unaccounted for following major floods in Nepal, says Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.
The figure has yet to be confirmed by Nepalese authorities.
He said the information, provided by travel agencies, is being gathered and cross-checked by the Malaysian Embassy in Kathmandu.
"We have tried to contact them but have received no response. They have been placed on the list of those still missing, while Nepalese security agencies carry out search and rescue (SAR) operations," he said in an interview with Bernama here on Thursday.
Mohamad is leading Malaysia's delegation to the extraordinary meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), in Doha.
Mohamad said the effort to locate them is proving difficult due to damaged access routes and disrupted roads and bridges.
According to him, the latest information from the Malaysian Embassy in Kathmandu and Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated that authorities are searching for those still missing.
"We have received reports describing the flooding as a massive inland tsunami," he said.
Mohamad said Malaysia had deployed additional personnel from Dhaka, Bangladesh, to Kathmandu to assist the Malaysian Embassy in handling the situation by monitoring the operation, managing the welfare of Malaysians and coordinating with Nepalese security authorities.
"We sent additional personnel from Dhaka because it is roughly a one-hour flight to Kathmandu," he said.
Regarding the possibility of Malaysia deploying rescue teams and other forms of assistance, Mohamad said the National Security Council would decide the matter.
He also conveyed his sympathies and condolences to the families of Malaysians who have yet to be located.
"My condolences and deepest sympathies go to the families of all Malaysians who remain missing or unaccounted for," he said, adding that he prayed they would be found. – Bernama
