SUBANG, Sept 5 — Eleven officers and members of the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) departed for Nepal this morning to assist search-and-rescue (SAR) operations in areas hit by floods and landslides.
The team is led by SMART Commander Senior Fire Superintendent 1 (PgKB 1) Abdul Manaf Che Isa. The mission is expected to last 10 days.
National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) Director-General Datuk Meor Ismail Meor Akim said the unit was assembled with specialised skills in search and rescue, drone operations, logistics, communications and technical support.
He was speaking at a send-off ceremony at the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) Subang Air Base.
“The team is expected to arrive in Nepal at about 11am Nepal time, after which it will be given an operational briefing and deployed to identified locations, including to assist Malaysians affected by the disaster,” he said.
Meor Ismail said the team had been given an initial indication that it may be sent to tunnel areas, but the final assignment would depend on the briefing on the ground.
“In this operation, we will rescue whoever the victims are, but our focus is on the last known areas involving our people,” he said.
An RMAF A400M aircraft, with a crew of 31, left Subang at 9am carrying the SMART team under NADMA and 12.4 tonnes of SAR equipment.
The cargo includes rescue gear, detection devices, communications systems, high-capacity drones, specialised tunnel-rescue equipment, a four-wheel-drive vehicle and a 10-tonne cargo truck.
Abdul Manaf said the team would arrive in Kathmandu, receive a briefing from the local emergency management agency and then be deployed to designated sites.
“Our mission is clearly a humanitarian one. We are also bringing specialised equipment for possible tunnel-rescue operations, as well as communications, medical and health equipment,” he said.
On Aug 30, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the MADANI Government had decided to send SMART to Nepal to assist SAR operations. Malaysia will also channel US$1 million to Nepal to help victims and support post-disaster recovery.
Fifty-five Malaysians remain uncontactable following the disaster on Aug 26. Another 77 Malaysians found safe in Tibet and Nepal have been taken to Kathmandu to complete procedures before returning home.
Anadolu Agency reported that the death toll from the disaster had risen to 1,220, while 4,762 people, including 844 foreigners, were still missing.
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