Kathmandu:Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia initially requested that the search and rescue operation involving 55 missing Malaysians in Nepal extend from Rasuwagadhi to Syabrubesi. However, the search team was only permitted to operate in specific areas.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Malaysia Solidarity: Families in Hope (MASFIH) spokesman Dr. Manivannan Rethinam shared that the limitation on the search area was discussed during a meeting with government agencies. The families questioned why the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) was not focusing on Rasuwagadhi, a border area between Nepal and Tibet believed to be the last known location of many missing Malaysians.

The Charg© d'Affaires ad interim of the Malaysian Embassy in Kathmandu, Mohd Firdaus Azman, explained that while Malaysia asked for an extended search area, Nepalese authorities only allowed operations in certain areas, including Timure. Dr. Manivannan stated that the SMART team's current search is focused on areas from Timure to Syabrubesi, not Rasuwagadhi, where many Malaysians were last believed to be.

Families understand that the SMART operation's scope is determined by Nepalese authorities, a factor beyond the team's control. Despite this, they appreciate SMART's efforts and their transparency about operational challenges.

The families also raised concerns about the possibility of victims still being alive. SMART commander Abdul Manaf Che Isa indicated that while there remains a slim chance for survival if victims are in remote mountainous regions, it is unlikely.

The SMART Team, consisting of 11 members, was dispatched to Nepal on September 5 and conducted searches using drones in approved areas until their return on September 14.

Additional information provided to the families revealed that Nepal will now process DNA samples from disaster victims' bodies for identification purposes. Previously, Nepal was reported to lack the necessary expertise, but now they are equipped to handle the process independently. DNA profiles from families will be matched against those from the remains, and in the event of a match, procedures will be in place to retrieve the body for the family, although official information on the process has yet to be received.