Kathmandu: A lifelong dream of setting foot on Mount Everest prompted Mohd Sani Harul to join an expedition to Everest Base Camp (EBC) in Nepal, before he was reported missing in the floods in Rasuwa on Aug 26. His wife, Nor Azila Shaharuddin, said her husband's deep interest in mountaineering activities had prompted the deputy director (Operations) of the Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia (JBPM) to realise his dream by travelling to EBC in a four-wheel-drive vehicle.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Nor Azila shared that Mohd Sani, 59, had been active in mountaineering activities since early in his career and had previously been a member of the JBPM Rescue Climbers. She said her last communication with her husband was via WhatsApp on Aug 26 at about 5 am Malaysian time or 3 am Nepal time.

Nor Azila recounted that Mohd Sani informed her of his plans to head to the Nepal-Tibet border, a journey expected to take about five hours by vehicle, before spending the night in Gerung, China. She also mentioned that throughout his stay in Nepal, her husband had not activated international roaming services, relying solely on the WiFi provided by his hotel to keep in touch with the family.

Meanwhile, Nor Azila said she and her family continued to hope for good news about Mohd Sani and all Malaysians still missing in the tragedy. She expressed hope that the targeted search operation conducted by Malaysia's Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) in Nepal would yield results. "My family and our friends have been continuously performing special prayers and reciting the Yasin to pray for the search efforts to succeed and for all the Malaysian victims to be found safe," she said.

Nor Azila also mentioned that Wisma Putra had remained in constant contact with her, providing updates on the situation in Nepal at least once a day throughout the search and rescue operation. Mohd Sani was reported missing after the four-wheel-drive vehicle carrying his group during their expedition to EBC was believed to have been affected by floods while they were in a valley in Rasuwa.

A total of 55 Malaysians are still uncontactable following the disaster on Aug 26, while another 77 who were found safe in Tibet and Nepal have been brought to Kathmandu to undergo the necessary processes before returning to Malaysia. Anadolu Agency reported that the death toll from the disaster had risen to 1,220, while 4,762 people, including 844 foreigners, remained missing.