Nepal disaster: Malaysian families fear dwindling chances of finding missing loved ones alive

 

Families of the 55 Malaysians still missing following the floods and landslides in Nepal fear the chances of finding their loved ones alive are dwindling, as the search and rescue operation enters its 11th day.

Malaysia Solidarity: Families in Hope (Masfih) spokesperson R Manivannan said the group understood that the deployment delay was partly due to the need to obtain approval from the Nepalese government.

However, the families remained deeply saddened, disappointed and concerned that Malaysia’s Special Malaysian Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (Smart) would only be deployed on the 11th day, stressing that every passing day reduces the chances of finding survivors.

"We hope the Smart team will use all the information gathered by the families since the first day, including photographs, videos, GPS coordinates, communication records and information on the victims’ last known locations, to conduct the search as extensively as possible.

"At the same time, the families believe that the operation now needs to be carried out on two fronts simultaneously: searching for those who may still be alive and identifying those who have died," Manivannan told Malaysiakini.

R Manivannan

He added that with 11 days having passed, the forensic and Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) teams need to be deployed without further delay, while urging authorities to expedite DNA collection and matching.

S’pore, Japan step up

Manivannan said Singapore and Japan had also mobilised specialised expertise to help identify victims in Nepal.

"Our hope is very simple. If they are still alive, find them and bring them home. If they have died, find them, identify them and bring them home with dignity.

"Another question that is very close to my heart as a family member is: Will the Smart team focus on the ground zero area?

“Based on the information gathered by the families, we believe that at least 50 Malaysians who are still missing were in or around the ground zero area when the incident occurred," Manivannan said.

Manivannan’s sister, R Komathi - who was part of a trekking group - is among those still unaccounted for following the fatal tsunami-like floods and mudslides that struck the Nepal-Tibet border region, leaving over 1,300 dead with thousands more missing.

"What is rather disappointing is that as late as the ninth day, we were informed that the government was still trying to obtain the last known location through Nepalese telecommunications companies, when the families already had location information, photographs, videos and GPS coordinates since the first day," Manivannan said.

He also claimed that no one had approached the families of the missing Malaysians to collect and verify this information, apart from brief inquiries by the police when DNA samples were collected.

"So, my question is simple. When the Smart team arrives in Nepal, will they immediately focus on the ground zero area based on all the information already available, or will they still spend time determining the victims’ last known locations?

“For the families, every hour is precious," he added.

Manivannan said that the process of collecting DNA samples from the next-of-kin is now entering its final phase, and that 52 DNA samples had been successfully obtained as of Thursday. - FMT