Nepal Floods: Majority of 56 Malaysians Went Hiking, Joined Religious Ceremonies – Embassy

KUALA LUMPUR: The majority of the 56 Malaysians who lost contact with their families following the flash flood incident in Nepal were reported to be in the country for the purpose of hiking and attending religious ceremonies.

The Chargé d’Affaires of the Malaysian Embassy in Kathmandu, Mohd Firdaus Azman, said that based on the list received by the embassy, most of the Malaysians involved were heading to the area for hiking activities or attending religious ceremonies on the Tibetan side.

“Most of them either went for hiking or religious ceremonies on the Tibetan side. All of them were heading towards the Tibetan side,” he said when contacted by Astro AWANI on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Mohd Firdaus said that search and rescue efforts for the affected Malaysians are facing challenges following the severe destruction of land routes due to the disaster.

Mohd Firdaus added that the situation makes access to the affected areas via land routes extremely difficult, thus making the use of helicopters one of the primary methods for rescue operations.

“Search and rescue efforts are quite challenging because the land routes have been severely destroyed. So, efforts to reach the affected areas via land routes are, as people say, quite difficult.

“Only helicopters can get through. That is why the main focus is to find and retrieve those who are seriously injured and bring them to Kathmandu for treatment,” he added.

Meanwhile, the full list of the 56 Malaysians who lost contact with their families has been received by the embassy.

He further clarified that the embassy will continue to cooperate with the Nepalese authorities and local hospitals to obtain information regarding the status and whereabouts of the Malaysians who have yet to be contacted.

Astro Awani