Mohamad Hasan says the matching process will take a lot of time given the large number of victims involved.
He said the samples would be sent to Nepal for the authorities there to conduct DNA matching, a process expected to take some time given the large number of victims involved.
Mohamad said Malaysia was also prepared to send experts from the chemistry department to assist the Nepalese authorities with the DNA matching process, if required.
“Many other countries will also be sending their experts to assist Nepal in identifying DNA matches for the victims, which will help expedite the process,” he told reporters after attending the Pinggiran Senawang Independence Carnival here today.
Meanwhile, he said the Nepalese government had been providing excellent cooperation to the Malaysian embassy in Kathmandu in obtaining the latest information on Malaysians affected by the disaster.
Mohamad said the ministry received daily updates from the Chargé d’Affaires of the Malaysian Embassy in Kathmandu on the search operation and the situation on the ground, while the next-of-kin were also contacted regularly whenever there were new developments.
He said Nepal had limited the entry of foreign search and rescue (SAR) teams to avoid having too many teams on the ground, which could make it more difficult for the local authorities to coordinate the operation.
This morning, 11 personnel from Special Malaysian Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) departed for Nepal to assist in SAR operations in areas affected by floods and landslides. The mission is expected to last 10 days.
A total of 55 Malaysians were reported still uncontactable following the disaster on Aug 26, while some of the 77 located safe in Tibet and Nepal have since returned safely to Malaysia. The remainder are expected to return on flights arranged by their respective travel agents. - FMT
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