KUALA LUMPUR — Thirty-three days after a devastating glacial flash flood in Nepal, families of 55 Malaysians still missing are demanding clearer answers from the authorities on the search for their loved ones.
For the families, the prolonged uncertainty has brought not only emotional anguish but also financial strain, particularly for households that depended on those who remain unaccounted for.
S Punitha, aunt of missing Malaysian Suguna Balan, 33, said the families needed concrete information on the fate of their loved ones and what they should do next.
“We hope we can get solid information about what happened and what steps we need to take. It has been 33 days, but we still have no news about the 55 missing people.
“We have not even been told whether their belongings, such as luggage or personal items, have been found,” she told reporters at Wisma Putra here today.
Punitha was among several family members who went to the Foreign Ministry’s headquarters to seek updates on the latest developments concerning the missing Malaysians.
She said Suguna, who was the main breadwinner for her family, had left her parents — Punitha’s elder sister and brother-in-law — struggling to cope with the uncertainty surrounding their daughter.
Another next of kin, M Subramaniam, 38, the son-in-law of V Krishnan, 74, said the families continued to hold on to hope that some of those missing could still be alive or stranded in locations yet to be identified.
“Today is the 33rd day. All the families are desperate for answers, and we still do not know whether they are alive or not. We are still holding out hope that there will be news that they are safe or perhaps stranded at some camp,” he said.
Subramaniam said the families particularly wanted clarification on the progress of search operations on both sides of the Nepal-China border, as well as updates from the relevant authorities.
He said they also wanted to establish whether the Malaysian group had successfully crossed the Tibet immigration checkpoint before the disaster struck.
Subramaniam claimed his father-in-law and 26 others were last known to be inside a building, with the information on the location already conveyed to Wisma Putra.
Today’s closed-door meeting was the second engagement between the Foreign Ministry and the families since the disaster on Aug 26.
The floods and debris flow were triggered by an ice and rock collapse in the upper catchment of Lhende Khola in Tibet.
The disaster reportedly claimed more than 1,450 lives, while thousands of others remain unaccounted for. – September 27, 2026