PETALING JAYA: Malaysia's Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) has arrived in Dhunche, Nepal, to begin establishing a tactical forward operating base to support surveillance and data collection operations in the affected areas.
National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) director-general Datuk Meor Ismail Meor Akim said the 10-member team, led by Inspector Abdullah, arrived at 11.30am local time (1.45pm Malaysian time) aboard an MI-17 helicopter from the Nepal Army Tactical Command in Trishuli.
He said the forward base in Dhunche would serve as a logistics centre, temporary accommodation and a drone surveillance operations hub for the Rasuwa area, covering Syafrubesi, Timure, Dhunche and Mailung.
“SMART is establishing a forward base in Dhunche to support aerial surveillance operations, as well as to serve as a staging area and temporary accommodation if operational conditions require it.
“Establishing the base at the location is important to facilitate mapping operations in the affected areas,” he said when contacted on Tuesday (Sept 8).
Meor Ismail said four main sectors had been identified for aerial surveillance to ensure comprehensive mapping, namely Sectors A, B, C and D, covering the route between Syafrubesi and Timure.
He said the task would be carried out jointly with local authorities.
“Two drone teams will be deployed over two days to provide full coverage of all four sectors.
“Each team comprises eight personnel, combining four SMART members and four Nepal Army personnel to strengthen operational capabilities,” he said.
Meor Ismail said damaged infrastructure and the local weather, which has been rainy on a daily basis, remained the main challenges.
“However, SMART is adapting its operational methods according to prevailing weather conditions to minimise technical risks to the drone units.
“The aerial data and images successfully captured will be analysed in detail before being submitted to the disaster committee to support subsequent recovery and rescue action plans,” 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 a 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.
