SMART waiting for response from Nepali govt

 Commander Abdul Manaf Che Isa says the team is ready to leave pending approval by the Nepali authorities.

A number of Malaysians remain uncontactable following the mudslides and floods in Nepal’s Rasuwa district close to the border with Tibet on Wednesday. (EPA Images pic)

PETALING JAYA:

The Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) is waiting for a response from the Nepali government before it leaves to assist search and rescue operations following the devastating floods in the country on Wednesday.

SMART commander Abdul Manaf Che Isa said the team is prepared for the mission, but is awaiting a response from the Nepali authorities on whether they are ready to accept the team from Malaysia.

Manaf told Bernama on the sidelines of the National Day celebrations at Dataran Putrajaya this morning the team is coordinating with the foreign affairs ministry, the National Security Council (MKN) and the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) on the search and rescue efforts.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Malaysia will deploy a SMART team to Nepal, which will help to locate and bring home Malaysians affected by the disaster, while assisting the Malaysian embassy in Kathmandu in coordinating aid.

Anwar said MKN and Nadma, in cooperation with Wisma Putra, have been tasked with coordinating with the Nepali government to deploy the team as soon as possible.

He also said Malaysia will contribute US$1 million to Nepal to assist the victims and support post-disaster recovery efforts.

According to Wisma Putra, the number of Malaysians reported to be uncontactable remains at 55 in Nepal and 36 in China as of Saturday.

Latest reports from the affected areas of Nepal’s Rasuwa district close to the border with Tibet said the death toll has risen to 804, while nearly 3,300 people remain unaccounted for. - FMT