PETALING JAYA: Malaysia will deploy the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) to Nepal as early as Saturday (Sept 5), after official approval was given by Nepal.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry said the 11-member team will be equipped with high-capacity drones and specialised equipment to support operations led by the Nepalese authorities.
This would include areas requiring technical expertise and dedicated operational capability, subject to operational needs and safety conditions.
“An additional team deployed by the ministry has also arrived in Kathmandu and is assisting the Embassy of Malaysia in coordinating with the relevant Nepalese authorities on ongoing search and identification efforts concerning Malaysians who remain uncontactable.
“This includes coordination on the use of DNA samples for identification purposes,” said the ministry in a statement on Friday (Sept 4).
In Malaysia, identification-related preparations are ongoing, including the collection and analysis of DNA samples from next of kin by the police and the Department of Chemistry Malaysia, in coordination with the ministry.
“The government will also provide USD1 million in humanitarian assistance to Nepal, as announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“The ministry urges the public not to speculate or share unverified information while efforts to establish the safety and whereabouts of the Malaysians concerned remain ongoing,” it added.
As of Friday (Sept 4), the ministry’s current record remains at 55 Malaysians reported as uncontactable.
“The ministry remains in direct contact with their immediate next of kin and continues to provide updates as search, verification and related efforts progress.
“Information concerning individual cases continues to be communicated directly to families, while public updates remain focused on verified developments that can be shared more widely,” it said.
The ministry continues to pursue verification through diplomatic channels with the China government regarding potential overlap between reports of Malaysians in Nepal and those in Tibet, China.
“The Embassy of Malaysia in Beijing remains in contact with the Chinese authorities, while the ministry is also engaging the Embassy of China in Kuala Lumpur to obtain official clarification,” it said.
Malaysia has also conveyed its readiness to provide appropriate search-and-rescue expertise should such assistance be required by the Chinese authorities.
