PETALING JAYA: There have been no further updates on the two Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) officers who remain uncontactable following the flash floods in Rasuwa, Nepal.
“As of now, we have not received any latest information. We have been keeping tabs by communicating with the family,” Fire and Rescue Department director-general Datuk Seri Nor Hisham Mohammad said when contacted yesterday.
The two officers are professional climber Mohd Fakhrul Munir Mohd Isa, who is a member of the department’s special forces team, and senior officer Mohd Sani Harul.
They were part of a group of 10 Malaysians travelling towards Everest Base Camp after departing for Nepal on Monday night.
Earlier, Nor Hisham said the department is ready to deploy its Special Tactical Operations and Rescue Team of Malaysia (Storm) to Nepal should it receive orders from the Federal Government.
However, it would be subject to a request from the Nepalese government as well as instructions and coordination by the Foreign Ministry and the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma).
“We have prepared the best team, particularly from Storm, with the required skills and initial documentation to enable them to be deployed as soon as possible.
“If instructions are received, even at short notice, we are ready to move,” he told reporters when met at the 2026 National Day parade rehearsal here yesterday.
He also said JBPM had still not been able to contact nine hikers, including the two department officers, as well as a local agent in Nepal as of yesterday morning.
“We remain hopeful communication lines there can be restored and that, at the very least, we can obtain some indication of their location and condition,” he said.
He said the trip was a private one and was not organised or managed by JBPM.
The members who took part in the trip were experienced hikers, and some were part of the core team that assisted in preparations for a JBPM climber’s attempt to scale Mount Everest last year.
However, he said the trip this time was more of a trekking expedition, with most of the route covered by four-wheel drive vehicles and only the final one to two hours requiring travel on foot.
The group departed on Aug 24 and had been expected to enter the Tibet border area on Aug 26.
The last communication was received while the group was having breakfast that morning, but it could not be ascertained whether they were still at their accommodation or had already set off.
“Based on the last photo and location, they were believed to have been in the area.
“If they started moving at around 8.30am, we hope they managed to make their way to the higher trekking route.
“However, this has yet to be confirmed,” he said.
Nor Hisham said JBPM was also in close contact with the families of the officers involved, who were now using various channels and contacts in Nepal to obtain the latest information.
“We pray for the best and hope all the participants are safe,” he said, Bernama reported.
Floods and landslides occurred along the Nepal border, affecting the Gyirong Port border crossing in Gyirong County, China, on Wednesday morning.
At press time, the death toll from the floods and landslides in Nepal had risen to at least 389, while over 460 people were injured.
