A month without answers: Families of missing Malaysians told Nepal search may soon end

PUTRAJAYA, Sept 27 — After more than a month of waiting without news, the families of Malaysians still missing following the flood disaster in Nepal are beginning to resign themselves to all possibilities when informed that the government of that country is considering ending the search and rescue (SAR) operations.

In a meeting with government agencies at Wisma Putra today, the next of kin were also briefed on the process related to the death certificates, which are being expedited to facilitate the families’ affairs.

S. Sankara, the son of a missing Malaysian, said Wisma Putra informed them that the Nepalese government is expected to conclude the rescue operation phase soon before transitioning to recovery operations.

“Based on the briefing received, the search and rescue operation is still ongoing at this time. The family was briefed on the documentation process, including the death certificate that will be issued by the Nepalese government,” he said to the media when met at the Wisma Putra compound here today.

The four-hour meeting, which started around 10.15 am and ended around 3 pm, involved briefings from several agencies regarding SAR operations, management of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) samples, as well as legal and documentation processes.

Meanwhile, Sankara said his family is trying to continue with their lives as best as they can despite still facing emotional pressure following the loss of his mother, K. Kalaimathi, 57, who was in Nepal for a religious ritual.

For Adura Masood, the wait for her husband, Dr. Mohd Padzil Daros, 63, is still not over.

“Not yet. No news,” she said when asked about any update on her husband.

Adura said today’s briefing explained the search efforts carried out by the involved teams, but there has not been much new development regarding the victim’s whereabouts.

“I don’t think there has been much (development). They explained what happened there, just a brief explanation. It’s just a briefing,” she said.

However, Adura believes that the team involved has done their best in the search effort.

“I think they have done their job,” she said.

Mohd Padzil was among the members of a group known as “Team Loe” who were reported missing when they were about 18 kilometres from the Rasuwagadhi-Kerung border.

The group was reported to be travelling from Kathmandu to the Nepal-Tibet border in a four-wheel-drive vehicle when the disaster struck the Rasuwa area.

Among those who participated in the journey were members of the special team from the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM), Mohd Fakhrul Munir Mohd Isa, and JBPM Fire and Rescue Operations Division deputy director Mohd Sani Harul.

Also participating in the same mission were Ganesh Neupane, Shabuddin Mun, Azman Karim, Muhammad Hazig Ismail, Mohd Nohan Salim, Jason Ngeow and Muhamad Nasir Abdul Talib.

Today’s meeting is the second following the government’s first official engagement with the affected families on Aug 30, five days after the incident on Aug 26, but not all families were represented at that time.

Among those involved are representatives from the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma), the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART), the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), the Malaysian Department of Chemistry, the National Registration Department (JPN), the Malaysian Embassy in Kathmandu, and the Department of Social Welfare (JKM).

The flood and debris flow on August 26, triggered by an ice-rock avalanche in the upper Lhende Khola watershed in Tibet, and reportedly claimed more than 1,450 lives, while thousands more remain unaccounted for. — Bernama