Arya News - Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said this after a telephone conversation with his Nepalese counterpart Shisir Khanal on Monday (Aug 31), during which they discussed the latest developments in the search and rescue (SAR) operations.
PETALING JAYA – Malaysia has sought permission from Nepal to deploy its Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) to assist in efforts to locate Malaysians who remain uncontactable following floods and landslides in the country.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said this after a telephone conversation with his Nepalese counterpart Shisir Khanal on Monday (Aug 31), during which they discussed the latest developments in the search and rescue (SAR) operations.
“Our discussion also focused on the latest developments in the SAR operations, particularly efforts to locate Malaysians who remain uncontactable following the floods and landslides in Nepal recently,” he said in a statement on Monday.
Mohamad also expressed his appreciation to the Nepalese government for the assistance and cooperation extended to the Malaysian Embassy in Kathmandu in dealing with the situation.
Earlier on Monday, it was reported that SMART was still awaiting feedback from the Nepalese government on whether it was ready to receive the team from Malaysia to assist in operations following the massive floods that hit the country.
The deployment of the team to Nepal is being coordinated by the Foreign Ministry, National Security Council (MKN) and National Disaster Management Agency.
On Sunday (Aug 30), Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the government had decided to send the team to Nepal to assist in SAR operations following the devastating floods in the country.
Anwar said the team had also been tasked with locating and bringing home Malaysians affected by the disaster, as well as assisting the Malaysian Embassy in Nepal in coordinating aid and ensuring their safety and welfare.