KUALA LUMPUR — An 11-member Special Search and Rescue Team (SMART) team left for Nepal this morning to focus on the last known area where Malaysians have gone missing in catastrophic floods 11 days ago.
National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) Director-General Datuk Meor Ismail Meor Akim said while the SMART team is focused on this area, they will aid Nepal search and rescue teams in locating any other victims.
“That is just our focus area but we will work on finding any victim, regardless of who they are,” Meor Ismail told reporters at the Subang Air Base here, where the team departed at 9am today on an A400M aircraft operated by the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF).
Malaysia’s team will be in Nepal aiding with operations for 10 days, he added.
“The force is led by Senior Fire Officer 1 Abdul Manaf Ch as contingent commander and 10 members consisting of multi-skilled personnel,” Meor Ismail said.
Besides search and rescue skills, the team also has expertise in drone operation, logistics, communication and other forms of technical support.
The Malaysians who have not been found include many who were on hiking tours and range in age from the 30s and older, with the eldest being a 74-year-old. Also missing are two Fire and Rescue Department personnel, Mohd Sani Harul, 60, and Fakhrul Munir Isa, 44.
Malaysia received approval from Nepal yesterday for its SMART team to proceed to the stricken country, the Foreign Ministry had announced.
The ministry also said that as of yesterday, 55 Malaysians were still reported as uncontactable.
The ministry also has an additional team in Kathmandu which is assisting the Malaysian embassy there in coordinating with the Nepalese authorities on the search and indication efforts of missing Malaysians.
“This includes coordination on the use of DNA samples for identification purposes. In Malaysia, identification-related preparations are ongoing, including the collection and analysis of DNA samples from next of kin by Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) and the Department of Chemistry Malaysia, in coordination with the Ministry,” the ministry said.
Wisma Putra is also conducting verification exercises with Chinese authorities to clear any potential overlap between reports of Malaysians in Nepal and in Tibet.
Meanwhile, Putrajaya is preparing to channel US$1 million in humanitarian assistance to Nepal, as announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. – Sept 5, 2026