SUBANG: An 11-member Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) has departed for Nepal to assist in search and rescue (SAR) operations following floods and landslides that have left 55 Malaysians uncontactable.
The team, comprising a commander and 10 personnel with specialised skills, departed alongside 31 Air Force personnel aboard an A400M Atlas at 9am on Saturday (Sept 5).
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The team is expected to operate in Nepal for up to 10 days.
National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) director-general Datuk Meor Ismail Meor Akim said the team brought along 12.4 tonnes of equipment, including rescue and detection equipment, communication systems, high-capacity drones and specialised equipment for tunnel rescue operations.
"Our team is multi-skilled, with expertise in search and rescue, drone operations, logistics, communications and technical support," he said after the team's departure on Saturday.
Meor Ismail said the team is expected to arrive at 11am local time and the exact area of operation would only be determined by their arrival in Nepal.
He said initial information indicated that the team could be deployed to a tunnel area, although the exact location had yet to be confirmed.
Asked whether the operation would specifically focus on Malaysians who remain uncontactable, Meor Ismail said the team's main focus would be areas where Malaysians were last known to be.
"The objective is humanitarian and we are there to help.
"We do not differentiate between victims. Whomever we find, we will rescue," he said.
As of Sept 4, the Foreign Ministry said 55 Malaysians remained uncontactable following the floods and landslides in Nepal and China.
The ministry said it was pursuing verification through diplomatic channels with the Chinese government over potential overlap between reports of Malaysians in Nepal and those in Tibet, China.
The Malaysian Embassy in Beijing remains in contact with Chinese authorities, while Wisma Putra is also engaging the Chinese Embassy in Kuala Lumpur to obtain official clarification.
Meanwhile, SMART commander Senior Fire and Rescue Officer 1 Abdul Manaf Che Isa said the team would arrive in Kathmandu before receiving a briefing from the local emergency management agency and Malaysian representatives, after which it would be deployed to their designated location.
